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BOM'S ARTISTS' LIBRARY. 



THE ANATOMY AND PHILOSOPHY 



EXPEBSSION, 



THE 



A.NATOMY AND PHILOSOPHY 



EXPEESSION 



AS CONNECTED WITH THE FINE ARTk' 



SIE CHAELES BELL, K.H. 



BEVENTS EDITION, REVISED. 



LONDON: 

GEOEGE BELL & SONS, YORK ST., COVENT GARDEN, 

AND NEW YOEK. 

1893. 



A- \^o\s^ 



LONIX)N: 

RVRIKTSD FBOU THE STEBEOTTFK FLA.T1£S BY >7U. CLOWES & SOKB, LTD., 

6TAUF0BD BTBEBT AKD CHARIKO CR0S8. 



PEEFAOE 

TO 

THE THIRD EDITION. 



These Essays formed the earliest and the latest ocon 
pation of the lameuted author's leisure hoiirs; — and 
they now appear under the disadvantages which must 
attend a posthumous publication. 

It was tne habit of the author, in his literary compo- 
sitions, to sketch his first ideas as they arose ; and parts 
of this work were found evidently intended to be 
revised and corrected. They are faithfully added to 
the text of the last edition, where they bear upon the 
subject. 

The following prefatory remarks are from the pen 
of the late Professor Bell,* to whom, in the warmth of 
brotherly affection, the second edition of the work had 
been inscribed. 



The Essays' which are now presented to the public 
in their enlarged form, were originally composed, as the 

• George Joseph Bell, Professor of the Law of Scotland in tho 
Uniyersity of Edinburgh. He died September 23, 1843. 



Vi PEEFACE. 

author fondly said in Ms dedication, " when we studied 
together before the serious pursuits of life began;" but 
were not published till the year 1806, after the author 
nad left Edinburgh and fixed his residence in London. 
A second edition appeared in 1824 ; but he resisted 
every call for a new impression until he should have 
had an opportunity of verifying in Italy the principles 
of criticism in art, by the study of the works of the 
great masters in painting and sculpture. 

With this view he visited the Continent in 1840 ; 
and on his return he recomposed the whole for a new 
edition, introducing occasional extracts from his journal, 
sometimes to enforce the texts and sometimes to shew 
from what authority he drew his conclusions. 

In a declining state of health he had taken advantage 
of a recess in his professorial duties in the University 
of Edinburgh to revisit his friends in England. He 
hoped in the leisure of the country to give this work a 
final revisal for the press ; but before he had fulfilled 
his wishes in this respect, his life was terminated by an 
access of his illness at Hallow Park, in "Worcestershire, 
on the 29th of April, 1842. 

In the speculations of which this work is the result, 
and in the interesting inquiries to which they led. Sir 
Charles Bell was accustomed to seek relief from the 
wearing anxiety which, from his exquisite sensibility 
to human suffering, had ever attended the practice oi 
fiis profession : but a still greater effect was to follow. 
It was from these investigations that he was first led 
to make those discoveries in the system of the nerves, 



PEEFACE. VII 

whioh are now acknowledged to be the most important 
contributions of modern times to the science of 
Physiology. 

Before Sir Charles Bell's time, the nerves, which 
pervade every the minutest portion of our frame, 
seemed, in the studies of anatomists, a mass of inextric- 
able confusion and a subject of hopeless obscurity ; but 
he believed that in the works of the Creator there is 
nothing imperfect or unnecessarily complex, and that 
the solution of this apparent confusion was not beyond 
the reach of human inquiry. In tracing the causes 
of movements in the countenance and in the frame of 
the body under the influence of passion or emotion, he 
engaged in a very careful inquiry into the origin, course, 
and destination of the nerves ; and consequent investi- 
gations led him to those fundamental truths, hitherto 
unperceived, by which he, and those who have followed 
his course, have revealed to the medical world the beauti- 
ful simplicity of this part of the animal economy. To 
the physiologist it will be particularly interesting to 
trace in this work the steps by which the author was 
led to the comprehension of that most intricate portion 
of the nervous system, the class of nerves which he has 
named respiratory; a subject so difficult, that it was 
long before his views were acknowledged by the medical 
profession. 

Meanwhile his labours and his anxiety were relieved 
by the variety of his pursuits. He was a true lover of 
nature, and to trace the proofs of perfection and design 
in all the works of the Creator was to him a source 0/ 



Vni PREFACE. 

ever new delight. Constantly he had some useful, some 
noble purpose in view, whether in following up scientific 
inquiry, or in enthusiastically pursuing nature or art. 
Those who knew him best, and had seen 'h^m in the 
most trying circumstances of life, were most sensible 
that there never was a man whose mind was more 
uniformly attuned to grateful happiness. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGB 

Inteoddction. — Comparison of Ancient and Modem Art — 

Studies of the Italian Masters .... 1 

Essay I. Theory of Beauty in the Countenance — Of the 

Form and Proportions of the Head and Pace . 17 

Essay II. Changes from Infancy to Age 42 

Of the Skull, as a Protection to the Brain ... 46 

The Characteristic Forms of Animals .... 49 

The Characteristic Organs of Man 52 

Theories of Ideal Beauty 58 

National Peculiarities in the Form of the Head . 65 

EssAT in. Of those Sources of Expression in the Coun- 
tenance which cannot be explained on the idea 
of a direct Influence of the Mind upon the 

Features 76 

Blushing 88 

EssAT rv. Of the Muscles of the Face la Man 90 

Muscles of the Forehead and Eyebrow . . 91 

Expression of the Human Eye .... 94 

Muscles of the Nostrils 99 

Muscles of the Lips and Cheeks . . . 100 

Beard 105 

Expression in the Lips and Moustaches . 108 

Essay V. Of the Expression of Passion, illustrated by a 
Comparison of the Musclea of the Face in 
Man and in Animals ; and of the Muscles 
peculiar to Man, and their eifeots in bestow- 
ing Human Expression 112 

Expression in Animals ... .... 113 

The Muscles of Animals . 120 



X CONTENTS. 

PAGB 

Essay VI. Of Expreaaion in tLe Human Coimtenaiioe . . 131 

Laughter 134 

Weeping 136 

Grief 139 

Essay VII. Of Pain 143 

Demoniacs 145 

Convulsions 146 

Pear 148 

Terror 152 

Despair . . . 153 

Admiration ....,, 155 

Joy 155 

Jealousy 157 

Eage 158 

Eemorae 160 

Madness .,..,. 160 

Death 164 

Essay VIII. Of Expression in reference to the Body . . .171 
The Emotions modified by controlling Expression 179 

Essay IX. The Study of Anatomy, as necessary to Design . 183 
Of the Genius and Studies of Michael Angelo 

Buonarotti 186 

The Study of Anatomy 191 

Essay X. Of the Uses of Anatomy to the Painter . . . 193 
Faults into which the Artist may be betrayed in 

studying the Antique 195 

Or in drawing from the Academy Figure . . . 199 
Anatomy, as conducting to Truth of Expression 

and of Character ... 202 



APPENDIX. 

Of the Nerves, by Alexander Shaw 209 

Explanation of the Plates , , r . , \ 247 



LIST OF PLATES. 

TofMt 

Age and Ikpanot Page 42 

Prayer 96 

Horse's Head (Giulio Bomano) 117 

Do. WITH Muscles 1J8 

Do. {NorthcoU) 120 

Lauohteb. 134 

Weepikq 136 

Pain 144 

Demoniac ...•••..• 146 

contulsions ........ 146 

Fear with Wonder ....... 148 

Terror . . .152 

Jealousy 156 

Bage 158 

Bemorse 160 

Madness . , 160 

APPENDIX. 

Plate I. Skcli^ 247 

„ n. Muscles or the Face . . . ■ , 249 

„ ni. Muscles op Dog's Face .... 250 

M rV. Nebtes of the Face and Nbok . . 853 



PUBLISHEBS' NOTICE. 

The frequent reference which has been made to Sir Oharlee 
Bell's Treatise on Expression in recent lectures on Art, and 
the generally admitted value of the work as an aid to the Art 
student, have induced the Publishers to issue a revised edition 
in a oheap and handy form. 



ON EXPRESSION. 



INTRODUCTION. 

It is not an easy task to reconcile two subjects so far 
apart in the minds of most readers as Anatomy and 
the Fine Arts ; but if prejudices, early imbibed, be 
thrown off, it will be found that there is no science, 
taken in a comprehensive sense, more fruitful of in- 
struction, or leading to more interesting subjects of 
inquiry, than the knowledge of the Animal body. 

The academies of Europe, instituted for the improve- 
ment of painting, stop short of the science of anatomj-, 
which is so well suited to enlarge the mind, and to 
train the eye for observing the forms of Nature ; or 
if they enforce the study at all, it is only in its more 
obvious application, that of assisting the drawing of y 
the human figure. But my design in this volume 
goes further : — I propose to direct attention to the 
characteristic forms of man and brutes, by an inquiry 
into the natural functions, with a view to conj prehend 
the rationale of those changes in the countenance and 
figure which are indicative of Passion. 

A just feeling in the fine arts is an elegant acquire- 
ment and capable of cultivation. Drawing is necessary 
to many pursuits and useful arts : Locke has included 
it amongst the accomplishments becoming a gentleman, 
and, we may add, it is much more useful to the artisan. 
Good taste and execution in design are necessary to 

0^ 



2 INTEODUCTION. 

manufactures; and consequently they contribute to 
the resources of a country. 

I am not without hope that a new impulse may be 
given to the cultivation of the fine arts, hy explaining 
their relation to the natural history of man and 
animals ; and by shewing how a knowledge of outward 
form, and the accuracy of drawing which is a con- 
sequence of it, are related to the interior structure and 
functions. 

Anatomy, in its relation to the arts of design, is, in 
truth, the grammar of that language in which they 
address us. The expressions, attitudes, and tiovements 
of the human figure are the characters of thia language, 
adapted to convey the effect of historical narration, as 
\/well as to shew the working of human passion, and 
to gi^'6 the most striking and lively indic^ions of 
intellectual power and energy. 

The art of the painter, considered with a view to 
these interesting representations, assumes a high cha- 
racter. Every lesser embellishment and minuteness 
of detail is regarded by an artist who has those more 
enlarged views of his profession as foreign to the main 
design, distracting and hurtful to the gTand effect, 
admired only as accurate imitations, almost appearing 
to be what they are not. This distinction must be 
felt, or we shall never see the grand style in painting 
receive that encouragement which results from public 
feeling and good taste. The painter must not be 
satisfied to copy and represent what he sees ; he must 
cultivate this talent of imitation merely as bestowino' 
those facilities which are to give scope to the exertions 
of his genius ; as the instruments and means only 
which he is to employ for communicating his thoun-hts, 
ind presenting to others the creations of his fancy ; it 
js by his creative powers alone that he can become 
truly a painter; and for these ho is to trust to original 



INTEODUCTION. 3 

genius, cultivated and enriched by a constant observa- 
tion of nature. Till he has acquired a poet's eye for ^ 
nature, and can seize with intuitive quickness the 
appearances of passion, and all the effects produced 
upon the body by the operations of the mind, he has 
not raised himself above the mechanism of his art, nor 
does he rank with the poet or historian. 

It is a happy characteristic of the present times, that 
a love of the fine arts is becoming more and more pre- 
valent among the affluent; but still, rich furniture, 
mere ornamental painting and gilding, usurp the place 
of art properly so called. The mansion of an English 
nobleman and that of a Eoman of the same rank 
present a singular contrast. The former exhibits car- 
pets, silk hangings, lamps, mirrors, china, and perhaps 
books. The palazzo, on the other hand, in its general 
aspect, may betray antiquity and decay ; yet respect 
for ancestry retains on its walls the proofs of former 
grandeur and taste ; there hang many pictures, each of 
which would purchase an English villa or furnish a 
London mansion in all the extravagance of fashion. 
Vulgar curiosity may seek admittance to the finery of 
the one, while princes are gratified by admission to the 
other. 

Original genius seems peculiarly necessary to ex- 
cellence in design. Good taste may be acquired by 
familiarity with statues and paintings, and by the con- 
versation of the ingenious ; but the power of execution 
depends on deeper sources. In reading Vasari, we are 
struck by the difficulties with which the famous painters 
had to struggle. There is hardly one of them who 
had not to combat parental authority before obtaining 
leave to give up his days to painting ; nor is it sur- 
prising that there should be an unwillingness to permit 
a youth to dedicate his life to an art so little gainful, 
wheie extraordinary excellence alone obtains notice, and 

B 2 



4 INTEODUCTION. 

Lardly ever an adequate reward. I speak of the highei 
v'epartment of art. 

Much has been done at home by the force of genius 
alono. Our native artists have vindicated us from the 
aspersion of Winckelmann, that genius for the fine arts 
is stinted in these northern climes, — a notion -which 
has prevailed so extensively as even to have influenced 
our own Milton : — 

"Unless an age too late, or cold 
Climate, or years, damp my intended wing." 

In his history of ancient art, Winckelmann seems to 
attribute all to climate ; not only the perfection of form 
in the inhabitants of Greece, but their serenity of 
mind, sweetness, and love of beauty. Such a theory 
would imply that the people of Sparta and Athens were 
characterized by the same qualities. But when Spaita 
triumphed, it was in pride and rapacity. Neither the 
general intercourse between nations, nor commerce, nor 
intellectual nor moral excellence, derived any benefit 
from her ascendancy.* Athens was the mistress of the 
world ; and she has left examples of the greatest virtues 
and excellence in philosophy, eloquence, poetry, and 
art ; yet she has also showTi humiliating instances of 
tyranny, cruelty, and blood. The history of Greece 
is the record of incessant wars, of towns sacked, and 
of citizens inhumanly massacred. And in Athens war 
was always justified, if it promised advantage ; when 
tried by misfortune, she was found wanting : during 
pestilence, every aifection was blunted ; and licentious- 
ness abounded to such a degree, that the people became 
brutalized. It is strange that Winokolmann should 
attribute so much to the influence of climate, seeing 
that where the olive still ripens, in the long summer of 
Greece, not a vestige of those virtues which -were the 
• Arnold's " History of Rome." 



raTKODTTOTION. 5 

admiration of tte world now exists : and eenturios liaye 
passed without a poet or philosopher appearing, in the 
country of Homer and Plato. 

In the soil and climate of Italy, there have existed 
together states of society the most dissimilar. Among 
the Etruscans, and in the cities of Central Italy, the 
arts and civilization of Egypt and Phoenicia had taken 
root, long before Eome* arose to crush them. Her 
policy, and the leaning of her most virtuous citizens, 
were adverse to the arts. They feared that whilst 
they refined they should soften away those rugged 
and sterner qualities of the Eoman soldiers which 
were bestowing on them the empire of the world. But 
the old virtues at length declined, and the Eomans 
came to covet the luxuries of conquered nations, whom 
they could not rival in refinement or the arts ; so that 
Eome became the centre and the common receptacle of 
the spoils of Egypt, Greece, and Italy. 

The inquiry into the history of ancient art were an 
idle one, if it did not lead to the conviction that 

* A more just estimate is now made, than formerly, of the early 
Bomans, and of the virtues of the surrounding tribes. (Dr. Arnold's 
" History of Eome."} The n-mains discovered in the tombs of 
Tarquinii, Tuscaiiia, Argyllae, Veii, and Clusiimi, leave no doubt 
of the high advancement of art in these cities, ceoturies before the 
foundation of Home — at least of its fubled rise under Komnlua. 
These cities were the adversaries of ti.e early Romans; and, 
though subdued, furnished to their masters the elements of gnvern- 
m' lit and of civil policy. Eome had conquered the surrounding 
states, and sought to blot out all memory of them ; when new 
seitlements of Greeks (giving name to the district of Magna 
(irsecia) again offered to her a more extended field of enterpr se, 
in whicli the arts of peace were once more subjugated under her 
iron sway. 

If [ did not believe that Provideuce rules in the march of 
nations, I should say, that the world would have advanced iu 
philosophy, literature, and art, more rapidly but for that stem, 
remorseless people, obstinate against instruction. We are biassed 
in favour of Rome from her language containing the only record 
of much that, but for her conquests, would have spread with 
earlier, and happier influence, over the western world. 



6 INTKODUCTION. 

institutions, mi.ch more than climate, influence the 
faculties of man. Indolence steals upon communities 
as upon individuals. In the same regions, and in tho 
same climate, the inhabitants are at one time over- 
whelmed in ignorance and superstition, and at another, 
elevated to the most admired intellectual exertions. 
When the energies of a people are roused, there is an 
improvement in the arts of peace, however gloomy and 
foreboding the struggle may at first appear. The mind 
excited by public events does not subside into indo- 
lence. In Athens the struggle for power, and the 
desire of independence, forced the highest talents to 
the highest station. It was during the contests of the 
free states of Italy that the arts revived.* 

Perhaps we should attribute the cultivation of litera 
ture and the arts in Italy more to the smallness of the 
states than to the forms of their governments, for these 
were of every kind. While in Eome the Pope was an 
absolute sovereign, in Venice the nobility had raised an 
oligarchic authority on the necks of the people; and 
both were distinguished from the democratic turbulence 
of Florence. 

In the great kingdoms of Modern Europe, princes 
are siirrounded by a dense body of courtiers, political 
agents, and soldiers, numerous and clamorous in pro- 
portion to the offices of command and places to be 
bestowed. All who are distinguished by excellence in 
liberal studies are jostled aside, and the prince knows 
little of men of genius, far less does he think of making 
them friends. But in the smaller states of Italy, 
princes sought the acquaintance of men remarkable 
for their talent, for the cultivation of philosophy, of 
the language of Greece, or of Ancient Eome, for the 
improvement of their native Italian, and of poetry, or 

* See Eoscoe's introductory oiiap'/jr to tbo " Life of Lorenzo di 
Medici." 



INTKODDOTION. 7 

of th.e fine arts : and it is pleasant to notice how easily 
the presence or absence of such, men affected the 
BplendoTir of the court. Amidst the more than barbaric 
magnificence and riches of modern courts, certainly of 
our own, the exit or entrance of such men would be 
unmarked. 

Perhaps the circumstance that all negotiations were 
formerly conducted in Latin, and the conseqiient 
necessity for courtiers being acquainted with the 
learned languages, gave a liberal tone to the men of 
influence in the several states, and a disposition to 
promote literature and science. Some authors have 
attributed the genius of the Greeks, and their love of 
philosophy and art, to the conformation of the brain, 
— to the form of the skull ! On this subject I may 
have occasion to touch hereafter. But does not history 
determine the question? The Greeks were not extir- 
pated by the Eoman conquests. The skulls of a people 
do not change. During all the period of the Byzantine 
Empire, between the reigns of Constantine and Palseo- 
logus, luxury, sloth and efieminacy prevailed, whilst 
the people of the West of Europe were rising in moral 
and intellectual energy, and in the cultivation of the 
mind.* 

During the latter periods of Ancient Eome, a fashion 
arose which conduced much to the advancement of art, 
and filled the city with its thousand statues. The 
Eomans, like the Greeks, sought a species of im- 
mortality by the erection of their busts and statues ; 
they consecrated their friends by setting up their busts 
in their temples. Ttese being given in honour of the 
divinity whom they worshipped, were preserved even 
when the personages they represented had incurred the 
odium of the people, and when their statues placed in 

• See Prichard'a " Physical History of Man." He justly con 
tiuvorts the idea of Blumeubach. 



H INTEOIjUCTION. 

public were cast down. This desire of olDtaimng tho 
busts of illustrious men* explains tbe reason of tha 
multitude of tbose found collected in the Vatican : they 
are chiefly iQ marble; for the statues and busts in 
bronze and other metals tempted the cupidity of men 
in the middle ages, and were melted down. We are 
Btraok, too, with the number of the busts of celebrated 
men in proportion to those of princes ; which Visconti 
believes to have been owing to the desire which pre- 
vailed among private citizens in the better ages of 
Greece and Eome, to have them copied, as appropriate 
ornaments for their libraries, porticos, and gardens. 

The remains of antiquity in Italy, the presence, 
though in ruins, of temples, statues, sarcophagi, altars, 
and relievos, account for the early revival of art in 
that country. These must have been the studies of 
Donatellof and Ghiberti, as afterwards of Buonarr. ti ; 
for sculpture led the way to painting. Our country- 
men, pursuing their studies there, are placed under 
similar inSuences, and give proof that it is neither 
genius nor devotion to the imitative arts which is 
wanting in the north. But the time is past when the 
people knelt down before the works of a sculptor's 
hands; when the Amphictyons, the council of all 

* On this subject, see the Pieface to Viseonti's " Iconographie." 
t If all the great works of Grecian art had been at once dis- 
closed, it might not have produced the happy effect of tht suc- 
cessive exhumations of the splendid works of antiquity ; the 
excitement, or, as Cioognara has expressed it, " un certo fermento," 
kept up by the contest of princes for these works of art, gave 
importance to all who sought to imitate them, and raised tbem in 
tliB estimation of even the most vulgar minds. The progress in 
the history of art seems to have been — First, the establishment of 
new families;' then, the erection of splendid palaces and the 
necessity or convenience of digging for materials in the foundation 
of ancient buildings; next, the cxhumatioc of line st it lies, and 
the emulation thenoo aribii.a;; lastly, the ilcsii'e of having prot'e.--stii-s 
and universities arose, and this took place at a time wlien tha 
pontiffs were banished from Bume. 



INTKODUOTI0K. 9 

Greece, gave him solemn thanks, and assigceJ him a 
dwelling at the public expense in every city I* 

It is in vain that we dream of equalling the great 
works of antiquity ; they were raised under tyranny 
and false religions. We must hope for excellence, in 
a different condition, as the fruit of a religion of love, 
joy, and peace. If the arts of design hear no relation 
to that which has the greatest influence on mankind ; 
if they stand related neither to religion, nor to the 
records of history, nor to the progress of empire, — they 
must be ever, as a dead language, associated with 
ancient times j and with us, nothing more than a 
handmaid to domestic ornament and individual re- 
finement and enjoyment. 

Our artists should be brought to consider the 
changed frame of society. No one in these modern 
times, however much he may deserve the gratitude of 
mankind, is exalted as they would desire to see the 
proficient in art. The young artists madden themselves 
by the contemplation of antiquity, which leads to dis- 
appointment and repining age, The last conversation 
I had with Flaxman, whose genius was better estimated 
abroad than at home, was whilst the old man was 
elevated on a great block of marble, in his studio 
{Anglice, a shed). " Ay," says he, " we shall see what 
is thought of these things two hundred years hence." 
Yes, but they wiU record these things in stereotype, 
not in marble. Printing banished sculpture, and no 
man now, or hereafter, in addressing the people, will, 

* Tirabosohi refers to an ancient chronicle regarding the 
Dominican church of Eeggio, erected in 1233, for an example of 
the enthusiasm under which great edifices were built, and where 
all grades of society wrought as common labourers, lil^e emmete in 
au ant-hill. " Tarn parvi, quam magni, tarn nobiles, quam pedites, 
tam rustici, quam ciyes, ferebant lapides, sablonem, et calcinam, 
supra dorsum eoium . . , . et beatus ille qui plus portare poterat," 



10 INTEODUDTION. 

like Fabius Maximus, or Scipio, point to the statuea 
of his ancestors. 

Without cherishing vain regrets, there is a source 
of infinite delight in art, even as cultivated among us ; 
and we may hold the r'-'mains 'of antiquity as super- 
lative models. Gods and goddesses we shall not again 
see in marble, but the human figure in its perfection we 
certainly may. The Greeks gave prizes for excelling 
beauty. Among them a youth might be celebrated 
for the perfection of his eyebrow ; and the proportions 
of an Aspasia were transferred to the statue of a 
goddess. The forms of strength and the proportions of 
the victor in the games were scientifically noted and 
recorded, whether it was for wrestling, running, oi 
pitching the discus. Here, then, were studies for the 
sculptor, and a public to judge of the perfection of his 
work. Our connoisseurs never see the naked figure, 
or, if they do, it is an academy figure, — probably some 
hired artisan, with his muscles unequally developed by 
the labour of his trade, — pale and shivering, and offer- 
ing none of those fine carnations which more constant 
exposure gives to the body, as we see in the face, nor 
having that elegant freedom of limb, which youth, 
under a genial clijnate and the various exercises of the 
gymnasium, acquired.* 

For the improvement of art, there must be a feeling 
in the public in correspondence with the artist's aspi- 
rations, f In visiting the Sistine Chapel, 1 said to 

♦ So conscious were some of tlie Grecian states of the advantages 
derived from exercise, that they denied them to their slaves. 

t I cannot withhold the following instance of public feeling in 
England : — When Lord Elgin brought to London the figures of 
the beautiful frieze from the Parthenon of Athens, and while they 
remained in his court-yard in Piccadilly, he proposed a great treat 
to his friends. He had entertained au ingenious notion that, by 
exposing the natural figures of some of our modern athletwa in 
contrast with the marbles, the perfection of the antique would be 



INTEODUOTION. 11 

the celebrated artist who aooompanied me, " Ho"W 
could Michael Angelo venture to do such things ? 
Were such a man to arise amongst us, he would meet 
with ridicule, or live in neglect." But my friend said, 
" Do you not remember the impatience of Julius to see 
these paintings during their execution? Tor Michael 
Angelo being unwilling to let his unfinished work be 
seen, the Pope threatened to break down the whole 
Bcafiblding on which the painting was raised." It was 
by such enthusiasm, and the consequent encouragement 
of art, that Julius has justly participated in the fame 
of those who made his days an era in the world. 

It is perhaps favourable to painting, that it has not 
to contend with the excellence of antiquity. In visit- 
ing the schools of Florence and Bologna, and the 
galleries of the Vatican, we can trace the successive 
works of the early painters and the progress of modem 
painting. In the commencement, the subjects are such 
as could only be suggested by monkish superstition 
and enthusiasm. They are the representations of the 
wasted figures of anchorites, or if of women they are 
Buffering martyrdom. Even the Saviour, represented 
so full of beauty in after-time, is painted from the dead 
of the lazar-house or hospital. The purpose must have 
been to subdue the mind.* With better times the 



felt, and that we should see that the sculptors of the best time of 
Greece did not deviate from nature. The noblemen and gentlemen 
vrhom he conceived would take an interest in this display were 
invited. He had tlie boxers, the choice men of what is termed 
"the fancy." They stripped and sparred before the ancient 
statues, and for one instant it was a very fine exhibition ; but no 
sooner was the bulky form of Jackson, no longer young, opposed to 
the fine elastic figure of the champion of all England, than a cry 
arose, and "the ring" pressed forward, and ancient art and the 
works of Phidias were forgotten. Such I fear is the feeling of even 
the better part of the English public. Let not the young sculptor 
})e too sanguine of support. 

* " In the old library in Basle tlieio is a remarkable painting 



J 2 INTRODUCTION. 

influence of tlie Clinroli was more lu.ppily exercised, 
and finer feelings prevailed. The subjects were from 
the Scriptures, and noble efforts were made, attesting a 
deep feeling of every condition of humanity. What 
we see in the churches of Italy, and almost in every 
church, is the representation of innocence and tender- 
ness in the Madonna and Child, and in the young St. 
John. Contrasted with the truth, and beauty, and 
innocence of the Virgin, there is the mature beauty 
and abandonment of the Magdalen. In the dead Christ, 
in the swooning of the Mother of the Saviour, and in 
the Marys, there is the utmost scope for the genius of 
the painter. We see there, also, the grave character of 
mature years in the Prophets and Evangelists, and the 
grandeur of expression in Moses. In short, we have 
the whole range of human character and expression, 
from the divine loveliness and purity of the Infant 
Saviour, of Angels and of Saints, to the strength, fierce- 
ness, and brutality of the executioners. There, also, 
we may see the effort made, the greatest of all, in 
imitation of the ancients, to infuse divinity into the 
human beauty of that countenance, which, though not 
without feeling, was superior to passion, and in which 
benevolence was to be represented unclouded by human 
infirmity. These were the subjects to call forrh the 
exertions of genius, while the rewards were the riches 
of the church, and the public exhibition, in unison -nith 

of Christ by the younger Holbein. The painter must have been 
where anatomy was to be learned ; for I am much mistaken if he 
has not painted from the dead body in an hospital. It is horribly 
true. There is here the true colour of the deiid body : (the Italian 
paintera generally paint the dead of an ivory white). Here is the 
rigid, stringy appearance of the muscles about the knee. The 
wounds where the nails liave penetrated the hands and feet are 
dark red, with extravasation round the wound, and the hand itself 
of the livid colour of mortification. The eyes, too, shew from 
whence he drew ; the eyelids are open, the pupil raised, and a Utile 
turned out. Holbein tiorn here, in 1498." — Note from Journal. 



INTKOLUCTtON. 13 

the deep feblings of tlie people. Thus did religion at a 
later peiiod tend to restore wliat it had almost destroyed 
on the overthrow of Pagan idolatry. For the new- 
born zeal of the first Christians sought to efface every 
monument of the antique religion, throwing down the 
statues, destroying the mosaics and pictures, eifacing 
every memorial, and razing the ancient temples, or 
converting theni into Christian churches. 

The Church of Eome has favoured the arts in 9 
remarkable manner. The ceremonial and decorations 
of the altar have been contrived with great felicity. 
He is insensible to beauty who, being a painter, does 
not catch their ideas of light and shade, and colour. 
The Gothic or rich Eoman architecture, the carved 
screen, the statues softened by a subdued light, form 
altogether a magnificent scene. The effects of light 
and colour are not matters of accident. The painted 
glass of the high window represents to the superficial 
observer no more than the rich garments of the figures 
there painted. But the combination of colours evincee 
science; the yellows and greens, in due proportion 
with the crimsons and blues, throw beams of an 
autumnal tint among the shafts and pillars, and coloui 
the volumes of rising incense. The ofScials of the 
altar, the priests in rich vestments, borrowed from the 
Levites under the old law, are somewhat removed from 
the spectator and obscured by the smoke of the 
incense.* The young men flinging the silver censers, 

* If the painter requires to Jinow these vestments, he will find 
an aouount of tliem in Eustace's " Classical Tour through Italy," 
vol. ii. Antiquity characterises everything in the Eoman Church ; 
and to the English traveller this affords additional interest. The 
cereminies are ancient; the language of the service is that which 
prevailed at the period of the introduction of Christianity ; the 
vestn^nts are Jewish — at all events very ancient and majestic, 
liike everything else in painting, the artist should know the 
origin and uses of the drapery, or his Unes and folds will bti 
onmeaning. — (See Prefaee to Fowirf.i 



14 INTEODUCTION. 

ill themselves beautiful, and making the volumes of 
incense rise, give the effect of a tableau, defying 
imitation ; for where can there be such a combination 
to the eye, joined to the emotions inspired by the 
pealing organ, the deep chant, and the response of the 
youthful choristers, whose voices seem to come from 
the vaulted roof? There is something too in the be- 
lief that the chant of the psalms is the early Jewish 
measure. 

It was scarcely possible, during the struggles of the 
Eeformation, to keep the middle course ; and in reject- 
ing the corrupt and superstitious parts of its cere- 
monial, to retain the better part of the Eoman Church. 
Enthusiasm would have the recesses of each man's 
breast to be the only sanctuary ; that, even while on 
earth, and burdened with the weakness, and subject to 
the influences, of an earth-bom creature, he should 
attain that state of purity and holiness, "when, as in 
the Apocalypse, there is "no temple." Philosophy 
came to countenance the poverty and the meanness of 
our places of public worship. Climate, it was inferred, 
influenced the genius of a people, and, therefore, their 
government, and mode of worship. The offices of re- 
ligion in hot climates were said to require some sen- 
sible object before the eyes, and hence the veneration 
paid to statues and paintings; whilst in the colder 
climes we were to substitute internal contemplation 
and the exercise of reason for passion.* 

We trust, or hope, that in the breasts of those who 
fill the family pew, in these northern churches, there 
may be more genuine devotion ; but to appearance aU 
is pale and cold : while to the subject we are now con- 

* Some such thoughts must have come early into my mind in 
tr3ing my pencil on the ruins of an ancient abbey; and when, 
afterwards within the kirk, I looked to the rafters, as oi a baru 
and saw the swallows flying about during divine service. 



INTEODUCTION. 15 

eidering, at leas., no aid is afforded. What a contrast 
is offered to the eye of the painter by the figures seen 
in the churches cf the Eoman Catholic countries of the 
south, as compared with those in our own ! There are 
seen men in the remote aisles or chapels, cast down in 
prayer, and abandoned to their feelings with that unre- 
straiu.ed expression which belongs to the Italian from 
his infancy : and even the beggars who creep about the 
porches of the churches are like nothing we see nearer 
home. In them we recognise the figures familiar to 
us in the paintings of the great masters. In visiting 
the church of the Annunziata in Genoa, I found a 
beggar lying in my way, the precise figure of the lame 
man in the cartoon of Eaphael. He lay extended at 
full length upon the steps, crawling with the aid of a 
short crutch, on which he rested with both his hands. 
In Eoman Catholic countries the church-door is open 
and a heavy curtain excludes the light and heat ; and 
there lie about those figures in rags, singularly pic- 
turesque. 

In short, the priests in their rich habiliments, stu- 
diously arranged for effect, — the costume of the monks 
of the order of St. f rancis and the Capuchins, — the 
men and women from the country, and the mendicants 
prostrate in the churches, and in circumstances as to 
light and shade, and colour, nowhere else to be seen, — 
have been, and are, the studies of the Italian painters. 

Again, in passing from the galleries of Eome to the 
country and villages around, we cannot doubt where 
Eaphael and Domenichino found their studies and pret- 
tiest models. The holyday dress of the young women 
in the villages is the same with that which we see in 
3ieir paintings; and as each village has something 
Castinguishing and characteristic, and still picturesque 
h. its costume, much is left for good taste ■'o select and 
combine. 



16 INTEOUnOTION, 

Wlion a man of genius, nurtured in liis art at Kome, 
where everything conspires to make hiin value his 
occupations, returns home to comparative neglect, he is 
not to be envied. He wants sympathy and associates. 
David Allan, the Scottish Hogarth,* in a letter to 
Gavin Hamilton, whom he had left in Eome, laments 
ihe want of living models, and the defective sensibility 
of his countrymen. He says, we rarely see in this 
country a countenance like that of a Franciscan or an 
Italian beggar, so full of character, so useful to the 
study of history painting. But, he adds, we have 
nature, and with the assistance of ancient models and 
casts from the Greek statues, much may be accom- 
plished. 

* See his beautiful edition of the " Gentle Shepherd." While 
a child, I remember him as a kind and somewhat facetious old 
gentleman, but chiefly because he gave me drawings to copy and 
called mo " Brother Bruuh." 



( 17 ) 



ESSAY 1. 

OF THE TEEMANENT FORM OF THE HEAD AND FACE, 1 Jf 
CONTRADISTINCTION TO EXPRESSION. 

Much has been written, and gracefully and agreeably 
written, on the sonrces of Beauty ; yet 1 cannot help 
thinking that, by losing sight of nature, and what may 
be justly called the philosophy of the subject, the right 
principle has not been attained. 

Beauty of countenance may be defined in words, as 
well as demonstrated in art. 

A face may be beautiful in sleep, and a statue 
without expression may be highly beautiful. On the 
other hand, expression may give charm to a face the 
most ordinary. Hence it appears that our inquiry 
divides itself into — the permanent form of the head 
and face ; and the motion of the features, or the 
expression. 

But it will be said, there is expression in the sleeping 
figure, or in the statue. Is it not rather that we see iu 
these the capacity for expression ? that our minds are 
active in imagining what may be the motions of these 
features when awake or animated ? Thus we speak of 
an expressive face before we have seen a movement 
grave or cheerful, or any indication in the features of 
what prevails in the heart. Avoiding a mere distinc- 
tion of words, let us consider first, Why a certain pro- 
portion and form of face is beautiful, and conveys the 
notion of capacity of expression ; and, secondly, the 
movements or the actual expression of emotion. I 
believe that it is the confusion between the capacity of 



18 FORM OF THE HEAD AND FACK. 

expression, and the actual indication of thought, which 
is the cause of the extraordinary difficulty in which 
the subject is involved, and which has made it to be 
called a mystery : La heaute est un des plus grands 
mysteres de la nature. 

A countenance may be distinguished by being ex- 
pressive of thought ; that is, it may indicate the pos- 
session of the intellectual powers. It is manly, it is 
human ; and yet not a motion is seen to show what 
feeling of sentiment prevails. On the other hand, there 
may be a movement of the features, and the quality of 
thought, — affection, love, joy, sorrow, gratitude, or sym- 
pathy with suffering, — is immediately declared. A 
countenance which, in ordinary conditions, has nothing 
remarkable, may become beautiful in expression. It is 
expression which raises affection, which dwells plea- 
santly or painfully on the memory. When we look 
forward to the meeting with those we love, it is the 
illuminated face we hurry to meet ; and none who have 
lost a friend but must acknowledge that it is the 
evanescent expression, more than the permanent form, 
which is painfully dear to them. 

It is a prevailing opinion that beauty of countenance 
consists in the capacity of expression, and in the 
harmony of the features consenting to that expression.* 
The author of the " Essays on the Nature and Prin- 
ciples of Taste " denies any original or positive beauty 
to the human countenance. 

Those who have professedly wi-itten on the antique 

* Great names may be quoted— Plato, Cicero, and St. Augustin, 
down to our own professors. " Et ut corporis est qusedam apta 
figura membrorum, cum coloris quadam suavitate, eaque dicitur 
pulchritude : Sio in auimo opiniouum judiciorumque EequabUitas, 

et oonstantia, cum firmitate quadam et stabilitatu pulchri- 

tudo vocatur."— Os'oero. Burton, in the Objects of Love, quotes 
thus : — " Pulchritude est perfeetio oompositi, ex congruento' ordvne 
meueura et ratione partium oonsurgens." ' 



FOEM OF THE HEAD AND FACE. 19 

Bay, that, to arrive at the perfection of the ancient 
statue, the artist must avoid what is human, and aim at 
the divine.* But we speak of what stands materially 
before us, to be seen, touched, and measured. With 
what divine essence is the comparison to be made ? 
When the artist models his clay, he must have recourse 
to some abstract idea of perfection in his own mind; 
whence has he drawn his idea of perfection? This 
brings us to the right path in the inquiry : the idea 
of representing divinity is palpably absurd ; we know 
nothing of form but from the contemplation of man. 

The only interpretation of divinity in the human 
figure, as represented by the ancient sculptors, is, that 
the artists avoided individuality ; that they studied to 
keep free of resemblance to any individual ; giving no 
indication of the spirit, or of the sentiments or affec- 
tions ; conceiving that all these movements destroy the 
unity of the features, and are foreign to beauty in the 
abstract. 

In proceeding to define beauty, all that the writers 
CD art have been able to affirm is, that it is the reverse 
of deformity. Albert Diirer so expresses himself. If 
we intend the representation of beauty, then let us 
mark deformity, and teach ourselves to avoid it. The 
more remote from deformity, the nearer the approach 
to beauty. So Mengs : " La hellezza e V opposito della 
bruttezza." Leonardo da Vinci attributed much to com- 
parison. He searched for ugliness. If he saw an 
uncommon face,— if it were a caricature of expression, 
— he would follow it, and contrive to look at the indi- 

* " Se la figura era humana, vi facevano tutto quelle, che appap- 
tiene alia propriety, e qualita dell' uomo. Se poi era divina, esse 
tralasciavano la quality uraane e soeglievano unicamente le divine." 
— Mengs. Again, Winc-kelmann, "La beaute Bupreme,' reside en 
Dleu. L'ide'e de la beaute' hnraaine se perfectlonne h, raiaon de 
6a conformity et de son liarrtionie aveo I'Etre Suprtoe," ifec. — • 
Winckelmanit Eistoire de I'Art. 

C 2 



20 FOKM OF THE HEAD AND FACE. 

vidual in all aspects. He would pursue a curiosity of 
this kind for a whole day, until he was able to go hori;e 
and draw it.* We have here the practical result of ti.e 
theory, which is, to study the deformities, in order to 
learn to avoid them ; and certainly the effect was admir- 
able, since we know, as his biographer has written, that 
his painting of beauty raised love in all beholders.f 

If a painter entertains the idea that there is some 
undefined beauty, distinct from nature, which is in his 
(jwn mind, his works will want that variety which is 
in nature, and we shall see in his paintings the same 
countenance ccmtinually reproduced. AVe are informed 
that Eaphael, in painting the head of Galatea, found 
no beauty deserving to be his model ; he is reported to 
have said, that there is nothing so rare as perfect 
beauty in woman ; and that he substituted for nature 
a certain idea inspired by his own fancy. This is ii 

* "Piglio tanto gusto nel dipingere cse bizzan'e et alterate, 
die s' egli s' imbatteva in qunlch** villano che con vian strano et 
alquanto fuor del ordinarin, dasse un poco nel ri<iiculo invaghitii 
dalla bizzarria dell' obbietto, I'haveiebbe sequituto un giomo iu' 
lieio, fill a tciuto o'avuudone una perfetta id^ii, rimiuato u easa 
lo diseguava come se Thavesse havuto pre=ente." — Vasari. 

t This great painter a-cribed much importance to contrast 
in painting, bringing extremes together,— cA'iJ brutto sia vicina 
al bello, et il vecchio cd giovane, et U dehole aX forte; and such 
appeals, on many occasions, to have been the principle which 
directed the old masters. " The statue of Venus may stand alone ; 
but not so the painting of the goddess by Titian, — there are two 
hideous old women introduced for cont^a^t. — The Florentine 
Gallery. We may take a further illustration from the finest 
pictui'e in Italy — the Archangel Michael subduing Satan, which 
is in the convent of the Capuchins in Rome. The beauty of the 
angel is perfect ; the face is undisturbed by passion. It conveys to 
us with how little efibrt the superior nature subdues the monster 
who lies howling, and on which he puts his feet. The expansion 
of tho wings is grand ; and the manner in which the drapery 
encircles him indicates the motion of descent, — that he lias alighted i 
We have all the contract between a face convulsed by bad 
passion, and the serenity aud beauty of virtue." — Notes from 
Journal, 



PROPORTIONS OF THE HEAD AND FACE. 21 

mistake : painters have nothing in their heads but 
what has been put there. Tliere is no power in us 
"to disengage ourselves from material things, and to 
rise into a sphere of intellectual ideas," and least of all 
in what regards man. In the Farnesina, there are 
frescoes by liaphael and his scholars, demonstrating 
to me the nature of those studies which at length 
enabled him to compose, not to copy, the beautiful 
Galatea; that he first drew from what he saw, and finally 
avoided imperfections, and combined excellencies.* 

We shall arrive at a better understanding of this sub- 
ject, by inquiring into the peculiar form and beauty of 
the antique. 



OF THE PERMANENT FORM OF THE HEAD, AND THE 
PROPORTIONS OF THE HEAD AND FACE. 

Pleased as all are with the variety in the human 
countenance, and desirous of discovering why, in the 
antique statue, that is beautiful which is not found in 
nature, we seek for some means of more accurate survey, 
some rule by which we may measure proportions. 

The scientific principle is deduoible from this, — that 
the outward forms result from the degree of develop- 
ment of the contained organs. The most obvious plan, 
and that which has been most generally adopted, of 
examining the proportions, is by a comparison of the 
size of the head with that of the face ; understanding 
by the head, the brain-case, as containing the organ o/ 

* " Palazzo Farnesina. Saw tlie Fi-eicoes of Raphael. Somfe 
fiuished by his scholars from his outline — only one finished by 
himself. What I most admire la the beauty and variety of liis 
female heads, especially the different manner in which he has 
bound lip the hair and lA it flow about the neck and shoulders; 
and yet he may have found all this, stleeting from what may ha 
Been in the streets. Here is the Gal.itea !" — Note from Journal. 



22 PEOPOETIONS OF THE HEAD AND FACE. 

iiitollect ; and hj the face, the seat of the colloct«d 
organs of the senses. 

But we are not prompted, naturally, to institute this 
comparison, or estimate the dimensions of the whole 
head. Both nature and custom teach us, every moment, 
to scan the features ; and to look there for what is to 
animate, to charm, or to grieve us. Every scheme by 
which it shall be proposed to elicit the reasons of our 
feelings of admiration, love, or disgust, by measuring 
the comparative areas of the head and face, will fail. 

Nor will that comparison enable us to mark the 
gradations in the heads of animals ; because the pecu- 
liarities in the skulls of brutes either result from, 
or are connected with, the development of particular 
organs. Those organs have relation to the existence of 
the animal, to its means of procuiing nourishment, the 
pursuit of its prey, or the mode of avoiding its enemies; 
and the difference in the relative size of their instru- 
ments of prehension, or in that of their ears, eyes, or 
organs of smelling, will entirely disturb the line of 
demarcatii n between the brain-case and the face. The 
vast mass of the brain in man, must have an effect on 
the conformation of the whole head ; it causes the 
upper part of the face to be thrown forwards ; thus at 
once distinguishing him from the brute, and marking 
superiority of intellect. But when we consider the 
condition of the lower animals, we must take into our 
calculation, not intellectual properties, but the instincts 
of brutes ; and the measurement of the face, as com- 
pared with the size of the brain, fails us altogether. 

I must speak with respect of this suggestion of 
measuring the face against the head, since it has been 
entertained by John Huntei-, Camper, Blumenbach, and 
Otivier. I shall, however, direct what I have to say 
on the subject principally to the works of Camper. 

If we arc to study the form of the human head, seen 



PEOPOETIONS OF THE HEAD AND FACE. 



23 



in profile, we must obtain a line, which shall be per- 
manent, on which we can raise a perpendicular, and so 




commence a more accurate survey than by the linassisted 
eye. 

If we present a skull in profile, or draw it thus with 




the pen, we may begin by tracing a horizontal line, 
which shall pass through the foramen of the eaf and 



24 



PUOPuKTIO>iS OF THE HEAD AND FACE. 



the alveoli or sockets of the front or incisor teeth of 
the tipper jaw. On this we can raise an oblique line, 
touching the sockets of the teeth and the most promi- 
nent point of the forehead, or of the frontal bone. This 
is the facial line of Camper; and by its obliquity it 
will be, to a certain degree, the measure of the relative 
proportion of the areas or spaces occupied by the brain 
and the face. Another line may be drawn, which will 




divide the brain-case from the face; commencing at 
the foramen of the ear, it will touch the upper margin 
of the orbit. 

On looking to these illustrations of Albert Diirer, it 
is apparent that he entertained and practised this mode 
of distinguishing the forms of the head. 

But the idea of the facial line was suggested to 
Camper on examining certain antique gems. He ob- 



PROPORTIONS OP THE HEAD AND PACE. 25 

served that, in imitating these, the artists failed, from 
neglecting to throw forward the head, so as to make 
the line which touched the foi ehead and teeth nearly- 
perpendicular. For by this line he thought that he 
had got the key to the whole diflficulty, as marking 
the distinctions in the natural head, compared with the 
antique. He conceived that when he drew a profile' so 




that the forehead and lips touched the perpendicular 
line, he obtained the characters of an antique head. If, 
on the other hand, he let this line fall back, and accom-r 
modated the outline of the head to it, he diminished 
the beauty and perfection of the form. For example, 
if the line formed an angle of seventy, it became the 
head of a Negro ; if declining backwards still farther, 
by the depression of the brain-case, say to sixty^ it 



26 PROPORTIONS OF THE HEAD AND FACE. 

declared the face of an ourang-outang ; and so, down to 
the dog. 

To a certain extent, this ingenious mode will he 
found useful. Had the Count Caylus been guided by 
it in his great work on Antiquities, his figures, in 
many instances, would have been better drawn. But 




even in respect to the state' of the human brain, this 
line does not fully answer the purpose. In the skulls 
of certain nations the depression of the forehead is so 
great, that the line drawn from the alveolar processes 
to the frontal sinus, does not even touch the frontal 
bone. 

Camper's position is this, — that as, by the diminution 
of the cranium and the further inclination of the facial 



PEOPORTIONS OF THE HEAD AND FACE. 27 

line, the head is depressed in character to that of a 
Kegro ; so, by raising and throwing the skull upwards 
and forwards, until the facial line reaches the perpen- 
dicular, as on page 24, the great object is attained of 
Tesemblance to the antique head. 

But his own figures contradict his conclusion ; for, 
although he has thrown the head forward in them, 
even beyond the perpendicular of the facial line, yet, 
as he has preserved the features of common nature, we 
refuse to acknowledge their similarity to the beautiful 
forms of the antique marbles. It is true, that, by ad- 
vancing the forehead, it is raised ; the face is shortened, 
and the eye brought to the centre of the head. But 
with all this, there is much wanting, — that which 
measurement or a mere line will not shew us. 

The truth is, that we are more moved by the features 
than by the form of the whole head. Unless there be 
a conformity in every feature to the general shape of 
the head, throwing the forehead forward on the face 
produces deformity ; * and the question returns with 
full force : — How is it that we are led to concede that 
the antique head of the Apollo or of the Jupiter is 
beautiful, when the facial line makes a hundred degrees 
with the horizontal line ? In other words. How do we 
admit that to be beautiful which i» not natural? 
Simply for the same reason that if we discover a broken 
portion of an antique, a nose, or a chin, of marble, we 
can say, without deliberation, this must have belonged 
to a work of antiquity which proves that the character 

" On the following page T liave sketched the profile of a poor 
begging Negro in contrast with the head of M. Agrippa, in which 
the artist has dignified the character on the principle stated by 
Camper ; but, it is here apparent that the manly dignity results 
from the character of each feature, even more than from the facial 
line. It is seen in the eye, in the nose, mouth, and chin ; each of 
which are in as much contrast with those of the Negro, as is th«t 
shape of the 'vhole head. 



28 PROPOETIONS OF THE HEAD AND FACE. 

is distinguishable in every part, — in each feature, as 
well as in the whole head. 

We must assume a new principle, and it is this — that 
in the face there is a character of nobleness observ- 
able, depending on the development of certain organs 
which indicate the prevalence of the higher qualities 
allied to thought, and therefore human. A great 
mistake has prevailed in supposing that the expansion 
of some organs in the face of man, marks a participation 




in the character of the brute : that the fully develoned 
nose indicates the grovelling propensities, and the "ex- 
tended mouth, the ferocity of the lower animals. Let 
us correct this misconception by considering the pro- 
perties or uses of the mouth. It is for feeding cer- 
tainly, but it is also for speech. Extend the jaws, 
project the teeth, widen the mouth, and a carnivorous 
propensity is declared ; but concentrate the mouth. a;ive 
to the chin fulness and roundness, and due form to^'the 



PEOrOE'IIONS OF THE HEAD AND FACK. 29 

lips; shew fhrougli them the quality of eloquence, of 
intelligence, and of human sentiments, — and the noble- 
ness is enhanced, whicli was only in part indicated, by 
the projection of the forehead. Now, look to the 
antique head and say, is the mou^h for masticating, 
or for speech and expression of sentiment ? So of the 
nose. Here, even Cuvier mistook the principle. The 
nose on a man's face has nothing in common with the 
snout of a beast. The prominence of the nose, and of 
the lower part of the forehead, and the developnient 
of the cavities in the centre of the face, are all con- 
cerned in the voice. This is ascertained by the man- 
liness of. voice coming with the full development of 
these parts.* Nothing sensual is indicated by the form 
of the human nose ; although, by depressing it and 
joining it to the lip, — the condition of the brute, — as 
in the satyr, the idea of something sensual is conveyed. 

A comparison of the eye and the ear brings out the 
principle more distinctly. Enlarge the orbit, magnify 
the eyes ; let them be full, clear, piercing, full of lire, 
still they combine with the animated human counte- 
nance ; they imply a capacity consistent with human 
thought, a vivacity and intelligence partaking of mind. 
But large pendulous ears, or projecting and sharp ears, 
belong to the satyr ; for man is not to be perpetually 
watchful, or to be startled and alarmed by every noise. 

If we consider for a moment what is the great mark 
of distinctio-i between man and brutes, we shall perceive 
that it is SP.EO.i ; for it corresponds to his exalted 
intellectual and moral endowments. Speech implies 
certain inward propensities, a conformity of internal 
organs, and a peculiarity of nervous distribution ; but 
it also implies a particular outward character or phy- 
siognomy, a peculiar form of the nostrils, jaws, mouth, 

* These cavities do uot exist in the ohi'd, and only attain theil 
f-iill size m tie a^lult 



30 FORM AND PROPOETIONS OF THE SKULL, 

and lips. These latter are the visible signs of this 
high endowment. 

Then again, as to sentiment, — laughter and weejjing, 
and sympathy with those in pleasure or in pain, charac- 
terise human beings, and are indicated by the same 
organs. Hence, the capacity of expression in the 
nostril and mouth are peculiar attributes of the human 
countenance. 



SOME FUKTHER OBSERVATIONS ON THE FORM AND PROPORTION'S 
OF THE SKULL, AND BONES OF THE FACE. 

Let us return with more just principles to the study 
of the lines marking the regions of the face and head. 




A line drawn from the tube of the ear to the eyebrow, 
or prominence of the frontal bone, and one from the 
same point to the chin, include the face in a triangle. 
If another line be drawn to the lowest point of the 



AND BONES OF THE FACE. 



31 



nose, we divide the face into two regions; the lower 
occupied by the masticating apparatus of teeth, jaws, 
and their muscles. If this alone he enlarged, the effect 
is an encroachment on the nose and orbit, and the face 
loses all dignity and form. The eye is especially 
diminutive, and the nose misshapen. 

It will be found that the jaws correspond with the 
general skeleton ; very tall men, especially if gigantic, 




iave large jaws, and comparatively small heads. In 
rickety deformity of the bones, the character of the face 
is exhibited, as in this sketch, by a defect in the size 
of the jaw-bones, which have yielded to the action 
of their muscles. The qualities of mind, evinced in 
expression, may redeem any degree of deformity ; but 
the peculiarity of the countenance here, is that of 
rickets; the prominence of the forehead arises merely 



32 FOKM AND PEOrORTIONS.OF THE SKTJLL, 

from tlie accumulation of bone, and not from a suporior 
development of the brain. We have a further oppor- 
tunity of observing that the projection of the facial 
line, unaccompanied with due conformity of features, 
only adds to the deformity.* 

Blumenbach, dissatisfied with the facial line of 
Camper, contrived a different mode of distinguishing 
the capacities of the head and face. He selected two 
bones of the skull ; the frontal bone as representing 
the development of the cranium or brain-case ; and 
the superior maxillary bone, as the seat of the organs 
of sense, which are considered as opposite to the 
intellectual properties. He placed the vertex of the 
skull towards him, so as to look over the brow or 
forehead ; and then he noted how much the bones of 
the cheek, the nose, and the upper jaw projected beyond 
the level of the frontal bone. This method he used 
as better suited to mark the peculiarities of the national 

* " In visiting the Villa Albani, among the indescribable 
beauties which are everywhere around us, the party was amused 
with my attention being fixed upon the statue of a deformed person. 
I was indeed struck with the truth of the representation: the 
manner in which the ribs are distorted, the head sunk upon the 
breast, and the exflggeration of certain muscle-s, consequent upon 
displacement of the bones. I was thinking of the accurate con- 
ception which the ancients had of human anatomy, and the precision 
w.th which they copied from nature. 

" Tliid is said to be a statue of Esop, and on referring to Visronti, 
where he treats of the fabulist, I see tiiat his engraving of the 
statue, beautiful as it is, is deficient in what appeared to me a 
due correspondence in the countenance, and the distortion vi 
Uie body. On comparing it with a sketch I had made, I find 
that I have marked more distinctly the position of the head, tlie 
projection of the chin, and the fulness of the forehead charao- 
ttriotic of that defect in the face which arises from the jaw 
yielding to the action of the muscles during the age whtn the 
bones are soft. 

" Visconti discovers in the face u spirituality quite in contrast 
with that expression which the ancients give to buffoons, and 
dwarfs, whose physiognomy they always made ridiculous." — Nate 
from JourMii. 



AND BONES OF THE PACE. 33 

head ; and to be employed in the skull rather than in 
the living head. It may be useful, but it is manifestly 
imperfect. The breadth of the face may be noted in 
this manner ; but it will better serve the purpose of 
the artist to draw the face in front, and to apply the 
principle already explained, in the profile. 

It was observed in the preceding pages, that the dif 
ferent plans of measuring the head might assist in 
pointing out the varieties in the form of the head ; but 
that none of them proceeded on a just principle for dis- 
tinguishing what is acknowledged by all to be beauti- 
ful in the antique. A circumstance to which Professor 
Gibson, of Philadelphia, then my pupil, first drew my 
attention, convinced me that the methods which physi- 
ologists had practised were very incorrect. He placed 
before me the skull of an European and of a Negro ; 
and resting them both on the condyles of the occipital 
bone, as the head is supported on the spine, it appeared 
that the European fell forward, and the African back- 
ward. This seemed remarkable, when both physiolo- 
gists and physiognomists were describing the greater 
comparative size of the face, as the grand peculiarity 
of the African head. I was desirous of investigating this 
matter further. 

The difficulty of finding a line by which to measure 
the inclination of the face would be removed, if we were 
to take the head as fairly balanced on the articulating 
surfaces of the atlas, or first bone of the spine ; but in the 
living body, it will not be easy %o fix the head in the 
eqiiipoise. Something may be attained by comparing 
the general position of the head, in the European and 
the Negro ; but nothing approaching to the accuracy 
which observation pretending to science, requires. 

To find a line which should not vary, but enable us 
to measure with correctness the angles both of the facial 
line, and of the line intermediate between the cranium 

D 



34 FOKM AND PEOPOKTIONS OF THE SKDLL, 

and tlie face, I poised tte skull upon a perpendiculai 
rod, by passing tlie point through the foramen magnum 
into the interior of the skull, so that the upper part 
of the cranium rested on the point. By shifting the 
skull till the rod was exactly betwixt the condyles 
of the occipital bone, and in the centre of the foramen 
magnum, I procured the line which was wanted. 

I now divided into degrees, or equal parts, the great 
convexity of the cranium, from the setting on of the 
nose on the fore part, to the margin of the foramen 
magnum behind ; and having so prepared several skulls 
for adjustment on the rod, I began to make my obser- 
vations. 

In comparing the European skull with that of the 
Negro, the point of the rod in the latter touched the 
inside of the cranium several degrees nearer to the bones 
of the facfe, or more forward on the cranium, than the 
former. 

On measuring the angle of the facial line of Campei 
with this perpendicular line, in a European skull the 
most perfect in form of any I possessed, I found the 
difference to be ten degrees. 

The cause of the difference being much greater be- 
tween the European and African skull, in this way of 
measuring, than by Camper's plan is, that here the 
facial line has reference to the whole form and propor- 
tion of the head ; whereas in Camper's measurement it 
marks only the inclination of the face. 

We have now an explanation of the peculiarity in 
the position of the Negro's head, the upward inclina- 
lion of the face, and the falling back of the occipiit. 
X^id here too we have it proved, that it is an error to 
suppose the Negro head to be remarkable in character 
on account of any increase in the proportion of the 
boues of the face, to the cranium ; for the area of the 
boues of the face is in this way shewn to bear a less 



AKD BONES OF THE FACE, 



35 



proportion to that of the bones of the cranium, in the 
Negro than in the European head. 

My next object of inquiry was to find on what the 
distinctive character of the Negro face really depends. 
For to tha eye a Negro face appears larger, while in 
fact it is proved to be smaller than the European, con- 
sidered in relation to the cranium. I took off the lower 




jaw-bones from both the European and the Negro skvAl ; 
and then, in order to poise the skulls on the perpen- 
dicular rod, it was required to move both forward on 
the point of the rod. But it was found necessary to 
shift the Negro skull considerably farther forward than 
the European : the point of the rod thus removed baok- 

D 2 



36 FOEM AND PROPOKTIONS OF THE SKULI,, 

ward on tlie scale, indicated tliat the lower jaw of the 
Negro bore a greater proportion to the skull than that 
of the European. The facial line was of course thrown 
farther backwards in both skulls on taking away the 
jaw ; but the jaw of the Negro being larger than that 
of the European, the inclination backward was greater 
in the Negro skull. Proceeding to take away the upper 
jaws, and then the whole bones of the face, the index 
on |he surface of the cranium shewed that the jaw- 
bones of the Negro bore a much greater proportion to 
the head and the other bones of the face, than those 
of the European skull ; and that the apparent magni- 
tude of the bones of the Negro face resulted from the 
size and form of the jaw-bones alone, while the upper 
bones of the face, and indeed all that had not relation 
to the teeth and mastication, were less than those of 
the European skull. 

In proceeding with these experiments, I changed the 
manner of noting the variations in the inclination oi 
the cranium ; because I perceived that an index, marked 
on the convexity of the skull, varied according to the 
form of the head. Preserving the principle, I measured 
the inclination of the cranium by an angle formed by 
the perpendicular line (a b) and a line (a c) inter- 
mediate between the cranium and the face. On poising 
the cranium on the rod, after taking away all the bones 
of the face, it appeared that the Negro cranium had 
the line elevated nearly ten degrees more than the 
European, I also found, on comparing the cranium 
of a child with that of an adult, that it was deficient 
in the relative proportions of weight and capacity on 
the fore part — that the line was depressed by the size 
of the forehead increasing in proportion to the advance 
in maturity. 

On looking attentively to these skulls, it was evi- 
dent that there were distinctions to be observed in the 



AND BONES OF THE PACE, 37 

form of the cranium itself, independently of the propor- 
tions between the face and cranium ; that these varieties 
depended on the form of the brain, and proceeded (\ 
think we may conclude) ftom the more or less complete 
development of the organ of the mind. In the infant 
there is a deficiency of weight, and a less ample area 
in the higher and anterior part of the brain-case. I say 
less ample, only in comparison with that which we may 
estimate as the standard, viz., the adult European. In 
the Negro, besides the greater weakness and lightness 
in the bones of the whole skull, there is a remarkable 
deficiency of length in the head forward, producing 
a narrow and depressed forehead ; whereas a large 
capacious forehead is allowed to be the least equivocal 
mark of perfection in the head. 

Having been brought by this more accurate method 
of measuring the skull, to observe distinctions not only 
in the cranium and bones of the face, but in the face 
itself, and in the cranium independently of the face, I 
wished, in the next place, to consider more at large the 
varieties in the form of the face, and the cause of the 
secret influence of certain forms on our judgment of 
beauty. 

From the examination of the heads, both of men and 
brutes, and of the skulls of a variety of animals, I think 
there is reason to conclude, that the external character 
consists more in the relative proportions of the parts 
of the face to each other, than has been admitted. 
On first consideration we are apt to say, that in the 
beautiful form of the human countenance the likeness 
of the brute is inadmissible ; that wherever we see a 
resemblance to the brute in the form of the whole 
countenance, or in the particular features, it implies 
degradation. But this is true to a limited extent 
only : and how far it extends, the examination of the 
uses of the parts will inform us. 



38 FOKM AND PROPORTIONS OF THE SKULL, 

We have therefore again to inquire, whicih are the 
i.obler features of the face, and which belong to the 
inferior functions. 

In examining the mouth and jaws of animals, we 
fchall be convinced that the form of the bones is adapted 
to the necessities of the creature, independently al- 
together of the sense of taste ; that in man, whose jaw- 
bones are smaller than those of other animals, this sense 
is most perfect, most exquisite in degree, and suited to 
the greatest variety in its exercise. Turning to the 
skulls of the horse and the lion, we shall see that the 
one is fitted for powerful mastication, and the other for 
tearing and lacerating, not for cutting or grinding ; and 
if we examine the form of the teeth more narrowly, 
we shall perceive that there must necessarily be a form 
of the jaw corresponding to these actions. In the lion, 
the tiger, and all carnivorous animals, much of the cha- 
racter of the face lies in the depth of the jaw forward ; 
beoaBse this depth is necessary for the socketing of the 
long canine teeth. When, on the contrary, the jaw 
is deep and strong towards the back part, it is for the 
firm sooketiijg of the grinding teeth, and is character- 
istic of the form of the head of the horse, and of all 
graminivorous animals. There is also a peculiar form 
of the head and distinct expression, in the rodentia, 
and such animals as have to pierce shells for their food, 
as the monkeys, which is produced by their cutting 
teeth being placed at right angles in their jaws, for 
the action of gnawing. 

Now it is certainly by that unconscious operation of 
the fancy, that associating power which has a constant 
influence on our opinions, that a human face with pro- 
tuberant jaws seems degraded to the brutal character ; 
that the projection of the incisor teeth especially gives a 
remarkable expression of meanness ; while the enlarge- 
ment of the canine teeth, as we see in the demons of 



AND BONES OF THE FACE. 39 

llie Last Judgment of Michael Angelo, produces an air 
of savageness and ferocity.* 

Wlien we consider further the muscles appropriated 
to the motions of the jaws, we may comprehend why 
it should be thought a deformity when the zygoma (the 
arch of bone on the temple) is remarkably prominent. 
It is enlarged to permit the massy temporal muscle by 
which the jaw is closed to act freely, and its form cor- 
responds with the size of the jaw, and with the canine 
teeth. This will be "very evident if we place the human 
skull beside the skull of the horse, the lion, the bull, 
the tiger, the sheep, the dog, &c. 

It has already been said that a comparison of the area 
of the bones of the head and face in different animals 
will not inform us of the relative perfection of the brain 
in its exercise. But still we may recognize, in the form 
of the jaws and bill, the beast or bird of rapine ; in 
the breadth and extent of the central cavities of the 
face, the seat of the organ of smelling, tribes which hunt 
their prey ; in the prominent eye placed more laterally, 
timid animals which are the objects of the chase ; and 
in the large socket and great eyeball, the character of 
such as prowl by night. With these variations in the 
perfection of the outward senses, there are, no doubt, 
corresponding changes in the brain, and therefore, in 
the instincts and habits of animals. 

In obtaining a line which shew^ with precision the 
bearings of all the parts of the head, I think that I 
have reduced this subject to greater simplicity; and 
have been able to make observations more correctly 
than by the methods hitherto in use : — I have shewn 
that the relative capacity of the cranium or brain-case 
to that of the face, as containing the organs of the senses, 
is insufficient to mark the scale of intellect, or to explain 
the distinctions of character in the human head : — That 
♦ Faery Queen, Book IV. cant. vii. 5. 



40 FORM AND PROPORTIONS OF THE SKTJLL, 

the perfection of tlie human head greatly consists in 
the increase of the cranium forward ; in the full and 
capacious forehead ; and that the cranium of the Negro, 
when compared with the perfect cranium of an European, 
has less capacity at the fore-part.* It has been shewn 
that in the Negi-o the whole of the face is actually 
smaller instead of being greater, when compared with 
the brain-case, than that of the European ; but that 
the jaws, contrasted with the other parts of the face, 
are larger. The conclusion to which these views lead 
is, that some principle must be sought for, not yet ac- 
knowledged, which shall apply not only to the form of 
the whole head, but also to the individual parts. This 
principle, I imagine, is to be found in the form of the 
face as bearing relation to its various functions; not 
those of the senses merely, but of the parts contained 
in or attached to the face — the organs of Mastication, 
the organs of Speech, and the organs of Expression. 

And here it is to be observed, that it is not necessarily 
a deformity that a feature resembles that of a lower 
animal. In our secret thoughts the form has a reference 
to the function. If the function be allied to intellect, 
or is connected with mind (as the eye especially is), 
then there is no incompatibility with the human coun- 
tenance, though the organ should bear a resemblance 
to the same part in a brute ; but, if it has a relation 
to the meaner necessities of animal life, as the jaws, 
or the teeth, the effect is incompatible, and altogether 
at variance with human physiognomy. 

If we take the antique as the model of beauty in the 

human head, we shall confess that a prominent cheek- 

* In comparing the skulls of men with those of brutes, e g. the 
chimpanzee, it cannot be just to mesisure the proportions of tha 
cranium behind the foramen of the occipital bone ; for that forami n 
must correspond with the spine on which the head rosts ; and the 
position of the animal, monkey, or quadriiped, must determine the 
counuxion of the spine and skull. 



AND BONES OF THE FACE. 



41 



bone, or a jaw-bone large and square behind, is a defect ; 
that the great depth of face, produced by the length of 
the teeth, is also a deformity ; that the projecting jaws 
are still worse ; and, above all, that the monkey-like 
protrusion of the fore-teeth takes away from the dignity 
of human expression. 

When the principles that sway our secret thoughts 
are discovered, and when by a comparison of the parts 
of the head anatomically, a secure foundation is laid fur 
the accurate observation of nature, the lines of Camper 
and Blumenbach will aid us in the examination of cha- 
racter ; but these methods of measurement are, of them- 
selves, imperfect, and, being founded on a mistaken 
principle, they lead to unsatisfactoi y conclusions. 




( 42 ) 



ESSAY II. 

OHANGKS FROM INFANCY TO AGE. OF THE SKULL, AS PRO- 
TECTING THE BRAIN. OF THE CHARACTERS OF BRUTES, 
NATIONAL PECULIARITIES. 

The bones, and the parts which cover them, or are con- 
tained within them, grow, as it were, by one impulse, so 
that they correspond together ; the fleshy lips of the 
Negro are suited to his large protuberant teeth. Among 
ourselves, a square jaw-bone is attended by a thickness 
and heaviness of the cheeks and Hps ; and if the canine 
teeth, the strong corner teeth, be unusally long and 
prominent, there is not only a coarseness and heaviness 
of a different kind, but a certain irascibility of expres- 
sion. In women and young persons with large incisor 
teeth there is a pretty fulness and ripeness of the lips. 

The whole character of the face of a child results 
from the fleshy parts and integuments being calculated, 
if I may use such a term, for the support of larger 
bones than they possess in early years. The features 
are provided for the growth and development of the 
bones of the face, and hence the fulness, roundness, and 
chubbiness of infancy. 

There are some other peculiarities in infancy. For 
example : the head is of an elongated and oval form, its 
greatest length being in the direction from the forehead 
to the occiput ; the forehead is fuU, but flat at the eye- 
brows, and the whole part which contains the brain is 
relatively large ; the jaw-bones, and the other bones of 
the face, are diminutive ; the neck is small compared 







b 







CHANGES FROM INFANCY TO AGE. 



43 



with the size of the head, owing to the peculiar pro- 
jection of the back of the head (or occiput). 

Compare the outline of the infant's head with that 
of the boy, and the effect of the expansion of the bones 
of the face in bestowing the characteristic form of youth, 
will be apparent. The face in the youth is lengthened, 
and is less round than that of the infant. The brow, 
however, is not enlarged in proportion to the increase 




of the lower part of the face ; though the form is so 
far changed that a prominent ridge is now developed 
along the course of the eyebrows. 

This ridge (the supra-obitary) is caused by a cavity, 
which is formed in this part of the head by the layers 
of the frontal bone (or os frontis). It is the enlargement 
of this cavity (called the frontal sinus) that makes the 
prominence over the eyes which is peculiar to manhood. 

Prom infancy to adolescence, there is a great in- 
crease in the size of the upper jaw-bone (the superior 
maxillary bone). This is chiefly owing to its con- 
t lining within it another cavity (the maxillary sinus) ; 



44 



CHANGES FEOM INFANCY TO AGE, 



which, like the frontal sinus, becomes greatly developed 
with advancing years. And there are several new 
characters given to the countenance by the enlargement 
of the upper jaw-bone which may be regarded as the 




centre of the bones of the face. It has the effect of 

raising and lengthening the bones of the nose, and of 

making the cheek-bones (or ossa malas) project farther.* 

The growth of the large teeth in the adult, contrasted 

* The cavities in the frontal and maxillary bones communicate 
with the nose, and assist in giv'ug the sonorous, manly tunes to the 
voice. They are very small in women, as they are in children. 



CHANGES FKOM INFANCY TO AOE. 4b 

with the child, adds to the depth, as well as length, of 
both the upper and lower jaw-bones, and the whole face 
becomes consequently longer. Another necessary effect 
is, that the angle of the lower jaw recedes more towards 
the ear, and acquires more distinctness. Thus it is, that 
by the growth of the teeth and of those processes of the 
bones which support and fix them (the alveolar pro- 
cesses), and by the lengthening and receding of the 
angle of the jaw, a manly squareness of the chin and 
lower part of the face takes the place of the fulness 
and roundness of childhood. 

This view of the skull at different periods of life 
suggests another observation, relating to the characters 
of age. When the teeth fall out in old age, the sockets 
which grow up along with them waste away. Accord- 
ingly, while the depth of the lower jaw-bone, from the 
hinge to the angle, is undiminished, and its length to- 
wards the chin is the same, there remains nothing at 
the part where the teeth were implanted but th* narrow 
base of the jaw. The effect on the countenance is per- 
ceived in the opposite sketch. The jaws are allowed to 
approach nearer to each other at the fore-part ; the 
angle of the lower jaw comes of course more forward, 
and resembles that of the child, were it not that the 
chin projects : the chin and the nose approximate, the 
lips fall in, the mouth is too small for the tongue, and 
the speech is inarticulate. 

Before leaving this subject, we may point out a defect 
in the sculptures of Fiammingo, who has been justly 
celebrated for his designs of boys. In his heads o{ 
children, it is obvious that he intended to present us 
with an ideal form, instead of a strict copy from natiire. 
But it will be remarked, that the eyes are too deeply 
set in his figures. He has made the prominences over 
the orbits (the supra-orbitary ridges), which are peculiar 
tc a more advanced age, distinct features in the child, 



46 OP THE SKULL, AS PKOTECTING THE BEAIN. 

and has tkus produced an unnatural appearance. The 
only character of the boy which he has kept true to 
nature is the largeness of the head compared with the 
face, the fulness of the cheeks, and the falling in of the 
mouth and chin. In exaggerating the natural pecu- 
liarities, the artist has strictly imitated the antique. 
But it may remain a question, how far the principle 
which is so happy in its effect of heightening the beauty 
of the adult countenance, is necessary or allowable in 
designing the forms of childhood? 



OF THE SKULL, AS PROTECTING THE BRAIN. 

In touching even slightly on this subject, we must 
attend to certain principles. It is to be understood, 
that a shock or vibration passing through the brain 
proves more destructive than a wound penetrating its 
substance. A skull stronger, thicker, and more solid 
than that which we possess would not have given 
greater security : it would have vibrated to a greater 
degree, and the concussion arising even from trifling 
blows on the head, would have effectually benumbed 
the faculties. 

A child bears knocks which would be fatal in old 
age. This is owing to the skull being thin, uniform in 
texture, and elastic, in childhood ; and to the brain 
being of a coriesponding stiucture. The brain is at 
this age soft to a degree that would be unnatural in 
mature years. This resiliency of the skull, and yielding 
quality of the brain, explain bow the child is uninjured 
by blows, which would be attended with fatal concus- 
sion in after-life. But there is also a provision in 
adults for moderating the effects of such accidents. In 
proportion as the brain acquires firmness during growth, 



OF THE SKULL, AS PEOTSCTING THE BRAIN. 47 

a gradual change takes place in the structure of the 
bones of the head ; the protecting cranium is not simply 
strengthened ; it is not merely thickened ; the tiat 
bones which surround the brain are split into layers, an 
external and an internal one. These layers have each a 
different density, and a softer substance than either is 
interposed between them ; the effect of which is, to in- 
terrupt that vibration which would otherwise ring aroun d 
the skull, and reach every molecule of the brain. 

I have elsewhere * shewn that, in brutes, as in man, 
the processes and joinings of the skull are formed in 
relation to the forces to which the head is to be ex- 
posed ; and that they vary according to the habits or 
mode of existence of the animal. The tearing fangs 
of the carnivorous animal, and the still more powerful 
teeth of the hyena, adapted for breaking the hardest 
bones, are implanted in sockets of corresponding 
strength. The horns of the bull, the antlers of the 
stag, are rooted in bones not only capable of support- 
ing their weight, but of receiving the shocks to which 
such instruments expose the brain ; and the firmness 
of the STittires in the crania of these animals demon- 
strates the precision with which everything is set in 
just proportion. 

A remark is here suggested by these considerations. 
The provisions which we have been noticing in the 
human head are not designed to give absolute security 
against violence, but to balance duly the chances of 
life ; leaving us still under the conviction that pain 
and death follow injury ; so that our experience of 
bodily suffering, and fear of incurring it, whilst they 
protect the life, lay the foundation of important moral 
qualities in our nature. 

Let 11^ now direct our attention especially to the 

• Paley's " Natural Theology,'' with illustiatiTe notes by Henry 
Lord Brougham and Sir Charles Bell. 



48 OF THE SKULL, AS PEOTECTING THE BBAIN 

forms of the skull. The back of the head is more ex- 
posed than the forehead : we defend the front with our 
arms and hands : not so the back, as in falling hack- 
wards. There is, accordingly, a very marked distmc- 
tion in the strength of the occipital bone and that of 
the frontal bone. The prominence felt at the back 
part of the head is the centre of certain groinings, or 
arched ridges, which strengthen the bone within. We 
say groinings, for there is nothing more resembling 
the strong arches, or groinings, of an nndergroimj 
storey of a building than these projections on the in- 
terior of the occiput. In front, the skull forms, on the 
whole, a lighter and more delicate shell than behind ; 
yet it is not less adapted to protect the brain. The 
projecting parts of the forehead, which the anatomist 
calls the emineniice froniales, are, undoubtedly, most ex- 
posed ; but they are, at the same time, the strongest 
points of the bone, for here the outer and inner surfaces 
are not parallel ; there is an accumulation of bony sub- 
stance in the two tables, to give them increased thick- 
ness. It has already been seen that the prominences 
over the eyebrows, characteristic of the mature or manly 
forehead, have no relation to the form of the brain at 
this part ; they are merely the anterior walls of the 
frontal sinuses, — cavities which, it has been stated, 
belong principally to the organ of vcice ; yet they and 
the ridges which project towai-ds the temples, are a 
safeguard to the brain. Those latter raised arches, 
called the temporal ridges of the frontal bone, consist of 
dense and hard bone, as obviously designed for adding 
strength, as is an edging of brass, in carpentry, or a 
piece of steel let into a horse-shoe. Imagine a man 
falling side-wise, and pitching on the shoulder and side 
of the head,— he strikes precisely on that point which 
is the most convex, the most dense, the thickest, and 
best protected- 



OHAEACTERISTIO T^OKMS OF LOWEE ANIMALS. 49 

Altogether, independently of phrenology, it has of 
old time been acknowledged, that fulness of the fore- 
head, combined with those forms which have been 
noticed, is an indication of intellectual capacity ; and, as 
we have shewn, of human character and beauty. All 
physiologists have agreed in this view ; whilst they are 
equally confident in affirming that anatomy affords no 
foundation for mapping the cranium into minute sub- 
divisions or regions. As nature, by covering the head, 
has intimated her intention that we shall not there 
scan our neighbours' capacities, she has given iis the 
universal language of expression. Man is gregarious ; 
he looks for sympathy : it is not good for him to be 
alone ; he solicits an unity of sentiment ; and the 
language which expresses it is in the face. 



THE CHARACTERISTIC FORMS OF THE LOWER ANIMALS. 

Notwithstanding the high authorities in favour of 
the facial line, we have ventured to say that it is not 
adapted to give a measure of the capacity or area of 
the head in contrast with the face, in brutes; because 
the peculiarities of face in them depend on their 
instincts and propensities. These are for the most part 
indicated by the greater development of some one or 
more of the organs common to them all, and the subser- 
viency of others, not by the mass of the brain. The 
head of the horse presents us with an example ; it is 
an herbivorous or graminivorous animal, and hence the 
peculiarities of its teeth. Kow, it is in accordance 
with the teeth that the whole character of its form is 
derived. The incisor teeth or nippers project, that the 
head may reach the ground for feeding ; and they have 
a peculiar structure, that they may be preserved sharp. 



50 CHARACTEEISTIC FORMS OF LOWER ANIMALS. 

The lips also conform to this object ; they are not only 
suited to cover the teeth, but to projecc and gather the 
food. Again, the grinders are large, strong, deeply 
socketed, and adapted to bear the trituration of the food 
for a term of years corresponding to the natural life of the 
animal. While the mouth is small, the head is long ; 
and the muscles which operate on the lower jaw, to 
close it, and to give it the lateral motions necessary fur 
grinding, are proportionably large; therefore the depth 
of the head behind, and the length and narrowness 
forwards, are the principal characteristics of the horse.* 

Another peculiarity of the horse's head is seen in the 
construction of his nostril. He does not breathe through 
the mouth, but only through the nose. Here is an 
interesting relation of parts, which, though remote in 
place, are united in function. The nostril is indicative 
of the state of the lungs : and a large dilateable nostril 
has descended from the Arabian breed, and marks the 
capacity of " wind." 

It is agreeable to see the young kid in the first hours 
of existence, impelled by its instincts to mount the cliffs 
and summits of the hills ; or to behold the goat perched 
high on the scarped rock, his beard tossed by the wind, 

* Cuvier has been at the pains of measuring the facial line in b 
great variety of animals, beginniug with the ourang-outang and 
em ling with the horse. Let us lake the pug-dog, in which the angle 
is fixed at 35°, and compare it with the horse at 23°; who will not 
perceive that the difference of the facial angles depends on tie 
extension of the jaws of tlie horse, necessarily arising from the form 
and number of the teeth, or, in other words, from his mode of 
feeding ? 

Veterinary surgeons and naturalists have found it difficult to assign 
a use for certain cavities at the back part of the horse's head called 
the Eustachian cells. To me they do not appear to be subservient 
either to neighing or to the organ of hearing, as supposed; but they 
are placed in this situation, and filled with air, to occupy the largo 
space intervening between the sides of the jaws, without materially 
increasing the weigl.t. All jockeys know the defect in a horse of a 
heavy head and long neck. 



CHAEAOTEEISTIC FORMS OF LOWER ANIMALS. 51 

and browsing fearlessly. These animals, the sheep, and 
horned cattle generally, congregate, and make a circle 
to oppose an enemy and present for their defence a 
combined front. Their eyes are placed differently from 
those of the horse ; and the nostril wants the expansion 
necessary for maintaining a continued flight. The most 
curious adaptation of the form of an herbivorous animal 
to its mode of feeding is seen in the giraffe. The whole 
frame of the creature is formed with the view of enabling 
it to reach its food, which is not the herbage, but the 
leaves of trees. The skull is small , and so light, even in 
comparison with that of the horse, that it is like a 
thing of paper ; and the tongue and the lips protrude 
to catch the branches over head. The large proiainent 
eyes, and the limbs formed for flight, betoken the 
timidity of the creature. 

If w^e compare a carnivorous animal, as the lion, with 
a homed animal, as the bull, it will be readily perceived 
that it is from the teeth or the horns that the whole 
character of the head results. The peculiarity of the 
skull of the lion, or the tiger, consists chiefly in the 
breadth of the face, caused by the large zygomatic 
processes, which are formed of great size to give room to 
the strong muscles that close the jaw : and it is visible 
also in the shortness of the muzzle, and the depth of the 
face in front, where the canine teeth are situated ; for 
these must be deeply socketed in the jaws to sustain the 
strength of the fangs, and the powerful efforts of the 
animal. The grinding-teeth are small, and formed so 
as to cut like scissors ; for there is here no lateral play 
of the jaws as in grinding ; the canine teeth overlap- 
ping and preventing that motion. The muscles which 
close the jaws are of tremendous power, commensurate 
with the length and strength of those fangs which are 
for folding or tearing the prey. 

See, again, the head of the boar, how all the parts 

£ 2 



62 CHARACTEEISTIO OKGANf? OF MAN. 

hang, as it were, togetlier, to produce its characteristiu 
form : tlie snout and the great tusks are for grubbing up 
roots ; yet, from his strength, he is a formidable animal, 
for he will turn and rend. This very term implies a 
great deal ; he does not tear with his teeth, he does 
not butt as with horns ; but he runs straight forward, 
and with his projecting lateral tusk ploughs up the flesh. 
The whole strength of his body and neck is concentrated 
to the use of these formidable instruments. Look to 
the antique boar of the Florentine Gallery. The head 
lises high and projects behind, to give strong attacli- 
ment to the powerful muscles constituting his very 
peculiarly shaped neck, which is large, thick, inflexible, 
and suited, when he rushes forwards, to convey the 
impulse to the head, and finally to the tusks.* 

It ought to be a pleasing study to the artist to found 
his designs on an accurate knowledge of the structure 
and functions of animals. This pursiiit unites his art 
with the liberal sciences of the naturalist and the com- 
parative anatomist. And if ho be a lover of the antique, 
he must have observed that, in the better ages of the 
arts, the sculptors were remarkable for giving a true 
and natural character in their representations of brutes. 
The knowledge of animal form is the only guide to 
the right conception of the perfection and beauty of the 
antique. 



FtTRTHER ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE PRINCIPLE, THAT BEAUTIf 
IN THE HUMAS FORJI HAS RELATION TO THbl CHARAC- 
TERISTIC ORGANS OF MAN. 

What, then, giN^es nobleness and grace to the human 

figure, and how is deformity to be avoided ? In the 

statues of antiquity we see that the artists had a perfect 

• "Brldsiewater Treatise on the Human Hand," Bolin's Library, 



CHAEACTEEISTIO ORGANS OP MAN. 53 

knowledge of the frame, and could represent it in all ita 
natural beauty. But in many of these remains there, 
is something beyond an exact copy of nature, — some- 
thing which, as we hare seen, has been called divine. 
Now the difficulty of explaining why such deviations 
from real nature should inspire us with admiration, 
has forced inquirers into vague surmises and com- 
parisons. For example, they have applied the prin- 
ciples of harmony in music to the beauty of the human 
tigure. 

When the animal frame is surveyed as a whole, or 
as composed of parts more or less common to all 
living creatures, which is taking the philosophical 
view of the subject, an uniform plan is seen to per- 
vade the animal kingdom. Not only may the skeleton 
be traced from a shell up to the complex mechanism 
in man,* but every organ or individual part, when 
viewed comparatively, will be found to undergo a 
similar development ; from the simple structure of those 
creatures which enjoy the lowest kind of sensibility, 
to that which exists in the human frame. If, according 
to this view, we examine the head, and follow the 
course of development of the brain, as the part which 
occupies the cranium, and then that of the organs of 
the senses, which together constitute the face, and 
include the appa-ratus of speech, we shall distinguish 
what is peculiar to man. We shall learn what forms 
of parts bear relation to those endowments by which he 
holds his acknowledged superiority ; and the conclusion 
may be arrived at, that by magnifying, in works of 
art, what is peculiarly characteristic of man, we may 
ennoble his countenance, and, without being strictly 
natural, attain what is better. 

No faculties of the mind have been bestowed without 

• See the author's " Bridgewater Treatise on the Human Hand,"' 
wtiicb may be taken as an introduction to the present aubjeot. 



64 CHAEACTEElSTrO ORGANS 01 MAN. 

tlie field for thoir exercise; men's capacities, theil 
thoughts, and their affections, have their counterparts, 
or ohiects, to excite or to gratify them. There are 
beings superior to ourselves, and in a condition of 
existence different from ourselves, and the mind de- 
lights m contemplating them. Even in our enjoyment 
of beautiful objects, our thoughts rise beyond them. 
We walk into the country, in the woods and wilds, 
in love with nature and delighting in solitude. But 
if we examine our minds, we shall find that we people 
these solitudes; however we may believe that it is 
nature and inanimate creation which please us, all is 
referable to, and concentres in, some reflexion of the 
voice and features of human kindred. 

In admiring the finer works of antiquity, it is ad- 
mitted that the forms which we regard as models of 
perfection are unlike what has existed in nature : that 
no living head ever had the facial line of the Jupiter, 
the Apollo, the Mercury, or the Venus. Having found 
reasons to reject the theory of Camper, the question 
returns. How is that beautiful which is not natural ? 

Let us take the head of Mercury, which is simply 
beautiful, and the head of a Satyr, both antique ; and 
contemplate them in succession. In the Mercury there 
is a combination of forms and general proportions of 
the head and face, never seen in all the varieties of living 
man ; yet is the whole and each particular feature per- 
fectly beautiful. In turning to the Satyr, we find every 
proportion reversed : the forehead narrow and depressed ; 
the eyes near, small, and a little oblique; the nose 
flattened to the upper lip ; the mouth protuberant ; the 
ears large, tipped, and sharp ; and the expression of the 
whole goatish and savage ; and what there is of human 
expression is lively and humorous, but common and 
base. Now the principle which has been followed in 
giving beauty to the head of Mercury ie obvious hera 



CHAEACTEEISTIC OEGANS OF MAN. 55 

Wliatever is peculiar to the human countenance, as dis- 
tinguishing it from the brute, is enhanced. Not only 
is the forehead expanded and projecting, and the facial 
line more perpendicular, but every feature is modelled on 
the same principle ■ the ear is small and round ; the 
nostril is eminently human, and unlike that of the 
beast ; the mouth, the teeth, and lips, are not such as 
belong to the brute, nor are they the mere instruments 
of mastication, but of speech and human expression. 
So of every part, take them individually, or as a whole ; 
whatever would lead to the resemblance of the brute 
is omitted or diminished. 

The principle is further extended. It is not in the 
proportions between the face and the brain-case alone 
that the contrast is perceived, but in the quality or func- 
tion of each organ. We have adverted to the theory of 
Cuvier, that as hunger and the animal passions govern 
brutes, and as the parts which chiefly minister to them 
in the face, are the organs of smell and of taste, the 
unusual development of the nose and mouth degrades 
or brutifies the human countenance. But we remarked, 
in regard to this, that the nose is not elevated in man 
to increase the organ of smelling : it belongs to the 
voice, to human voice and speech. And so must we 
consider the different functions of the mouth. In brutes, 
it is for prehension, tearing, and mastication ; in man, 
its more distinguishable of&ce is speech and expression. 
Model the lips for this, for eloquence and the expression 
of the softer passions, and it becomes beautiful ; extend 
the teeth, and make the lips a mere covering for them, 
and it is brutal, at variance with human physiognomy 
and detracting from whatever is agreeable in the face. 

Our principle will apply with equal force to the 
motions of the face as to the permanent form. Human 
eentiments prevailing in the expression of a face, will 
always make it agreeable or lovely. Expression is 



56 CHAEACTEKISTIC OKOAKS OF MAN. 

evou of more consequeBce than shape : it will light 
tip features otherwise heavy ; it will make ns forget 
all but the quality of the mind. As the natm-al tones 
i)f the voice are understood and felt by all, so it is with 
the movements of the countenance : on these we aj-e con- 
tinually intent, and the mind is ever insensiblj' exercised. 

Whethor the views which I have here advocated were 
ever announced by the ancients, I know not. But 1 
think it is abundantly evident that their artists acted 
upon them. They went beyond mere imitation. They 
advanced to a higher study, that of combining excel- 
lencies ; selecting what was indicative of the higher 
and purer qualities, impassioned thought, and this they 
exaggerated. Their divinities were of hiiman mould ; 
but still as not visibly present they were creations of 
their imagination.* 

The explanation which I offer differs from what is 

* In high art it appears to have been the rule i>f the sculptor 
to divest the foim of expression. In the Apollo, there is such a 
stillness of features, that everyone follows his fancy, and thinks he 
sees in the statue what is really in his own mind In the Vtnus, 
the form is exquisite and tlie face perfect, but there is no express on 

there : it has no human soflnet^s, nothing to love. Mrs. saw 

a young gentleman, she thinks an American, kissing the tip.s of his 
fingers to the statue, as he left the tribune (the apartment dedi- 
cated to the goddess), but for this the statue gives no licence ; it 
would not have been unbecoming had he so saluted the Melpomene, 
for there we see the loveliness which lurks in expression. The 
authoress of an agreeable work on Eome is disturbed because " she 
has seen women, real living women, almost as beautiful as the Venus, 
and far more interesting." "We should find more of her way of 
thinking, if aU would confess their first impressions. This, however, 
cannot detract from the perfection of a statue, which has been 
admired in all times, as now. It only points to the purity of the 
design, the high aim of the artist, and its successful execution. 
Had the Helen of Zeuxis been preserved, I can imagine thiit it 
Would have been of a more feminine and seducing beauty than the 
Venus. But we must bear in mind that which I have taken notice 
of in the text, that all individual ty was studiously avoided by the 
ancient sculptors, in the representation of divinity ; they maintained 
the beauty of form and pr.'portion, but without expression, which, in 
their system, belonged exclusively to humanity. 



CHAEACTEEISTIC OKGANS OF MvN. 57 

commonly given by writers on art. They oall the 
" ideal head " that which does not represent individual 
beauty, but collective beauties, a selection and adapta- 
tion of beautiful parts taken from a variety of indi- 
viduals, and combined in one representation.* I place 
the superiority of the antique on higher ground, on the 
more extended study of nature, of brutes as well as of 
man. 

That the true animal character was fully understood 
by the ancient artists there is sufficient proof. Is 
there anything finer than the wolf of the Capitol, or 
the antique boar, or the dogs in the entrance of the 
Florentine Gallery, or the horses of the Elgin marbles ? 
It was this study of pure nature that enabled them to 
undertake such compositions of surprising beauty, as we 
see in their Fauns, Satyrs, Centaurs, and masks, where 
the peculiarities of brutes are engrafted on the human 
form. And it may be remarked that they did not 
merely give to their sylvan deities hair and cloven 
feet ; they bestowed on them a certain consistency of 
character very difScult of execution, but necessary to 
reconcile the ej'e to the absurdity ; a goatish expression 
of countenance, or a merry festive air, all in conformity 
with the hair and the hoofs, their embrowned skin, and 
the savage wildness of their life.f 

What, then, was more natural or obvious, in studying 
the effect of these forms and characters when transferred 

* " Nous dirons done, que la ootribinaison des pavties peut fonner 
un toi.'t, et ce qu'on appelle Tideal." — Winokelmann. 

t The difficulty of giviiig these comljiuations of the human aud 
brute obaraoter, is shewn iu the attempts of moileni artists to imi- 
tate the ancients in thtir representations of Fauns aud sylvan boys. 
They do not seem to iinow how to knit their joints, and tUeIr f&jei 
are too sober and wise. 

" faber imus et ungues 

Expriiutt, et molles imitabitur sere capillos, 
Infelix opens sumrua, quia ponere totuui 
Nesciet." 



58 CHAEACTEKISTIG OEGANS OF MAN. 

to the human countenance, than that the artist should 
perceive that the proportions which distinguish them 
should be avoided, or even reversed, in representing tne 
dignified and characteristic form of man ? 

Winckelmann would make it appear that the artists 
of Greece studied the forms of the lower animals for a 
different purpose : — to join the character of the brute 
with that of man, in order to embellish him, and to 
bestow on him new and preternatural properties. And 
he. refers to the heads of Jupiter and of Hercules as 
instances. " In the former," he says, " we may discover 
the great eyes, and imposing front, and the mane of the 
lion ; and in the latter, the head and neck of the bull." 

I must entertain doubts of this theory, and of the 
effect of the excessive exaggeration ; — in the head of 
Jupiter I have not felt its influence. But, if the theory 
be true, it goes to establish the fact, that the artists 
studied the form of brutes in comparison with that of 
man ; and I hold it to be an inevitable consequence of 
such a comparison, that they shoidd discover that the 
perfection of the human form was to be attained, by 
avoiding what was characteristic of the inferior animals, 
and increasing the proportions of those features which 
belong to man. 

1 shall not deny ingenuity to the theory of Hogarth, 
or usefulness to that proposed by Sir Joshua Eeynolds. 
But there is danger to the modern artist, if he is 
led to conceive that he can bestow beauty by following 
some fancied curve or gradation of outline. Sir Joshua 
held that beauty is the medium, or centre, of the various 
forms of individuals : that every species of animal has 
a fixed and determinate form, towards which nature is 
tontinually inclining, like lines terminating in a centre, 
or pendulums vibrating in different directions over a 
single point : as all these lines cut the centre, while 
only one passes through any other point, so he conceived 



THEOEIES OP IDEAI, BEAUTY. 59 

tliat perfect teauty is oftener produced than any one 
kind of deformity. This ingenious idea is well suited 
to the portrait-painter, who will not be a favourite 
unless he knows how to soften the features and pi-eserve 
the likeness. But there is this fatal objection to it ; 
that, as in the antique the artists deviated from nature, 
the pendulum would never reach the centre. 

It is happy for philosophy, science, history, poetrj-, 
and eloquence, that the Oreeks were a superior people, 
and happy for our subject that they were an eminently 
beautiful people. The artists of Greece certainly did 
not follow a vague line of beauty. They rather imitated 
some acknowledged beautiful form of age or sex. They 
even combined the beauty of both sexes, as in the young 
Bacchus, or more decidedly in the Hermaphrodite. 

With them, the highest effort of art was to represent 
man deified ; as it were, purified from the grosser cha- 
racters of nature. This they did, as we have already 
seen, by exaggerating whatever is proper to the human 
form : by increasing what gives dignity, and bestowing 
features capable of and prone to the expression of the 
finer emotions ; representing them, either as still and 
imperturbed, or as indicating a superiority to the things 
of this lower world. 

In painting, the representation of the Deity is always 
a distressing failure. If to represent Him who " became 
man," and " dwelt among us," be the highest effort of 
art, how is the Creator to be represented? Michael 
Angelo painted the Deity boldly, and with the expres- 
sion of the indignant wrath of man. Eaphael repre- 
sents the Creator plunging into chaos * and separating 
the elements. But on viewing these paintings, we are 
brought to feel the insuificieucy of the art, and to 
think of the artist to the exclusion of all sublime con- 
templations which the subject should inspire. Yet it 

* In the Gallery of Kaphael, in the Vatican. 



60 THEORIES OF IDEAL BEAUTY. 

is foolish, to call such attempts impiety, since no other 
idea is presented than that which is inculcated from our 
infancy. Our expressions in words are at variance with 
our just conception of Divine Intelligence, and our 
tongue as imperfect as the pencil of the painter. The 
one solitary expression in the Scriptures descriptive of 
the person of God is studiously obscure, and the accom- 
paniments of His presence, not the countenance of the 
Almighty, are descrihed. 

The sentiments of Plato, Cicero, and Seneca, are 
brought to bear on this subject of beauty and ideal 
perfection. Yet it is fortunate that we have the works 
of the ancient sculptors before us, to preserve us from 
the influence of vague theories. Cicero has given us 
his conception of a perfect orator. " And such an ideal 
person," he says, " may be the object of imitation ; but 
those who imitate can only approach the model according 
to the talents which nature has given them. No man can 
possess all the qualities, or attain to the whole perfection 
of the model ; he must in some one respect be deficient. 
His knowledge and capacity of research, his acquaintance 
with human character, his insinuating or commanding 
language, or his eloquent appeal to the heart, his coun- 
tenance and expression, his voice, manner, gesture, 
cannot be all equally balanced so as to constitute the 
perfect orator." And he illustrates his position by the 
example of Phidias, who, when he made the statue of 
Jupiter and Minerva, took no individual for his model, 
but had an idea of perfection in his own mind.* 

* In the following quotation, Brutus has asked Cicero what 
constitutes excellence lu oratory. He answers, that no man has 
been perfect; that there is an ideal perfection which we should 
attempt to attain, nor resign the effort because to accomplish all 
is impossible ; just as there is nothing beautiful which may not 
in imagination be surpassed : — 

" Sed ego sic statuo, nihil esse in uUo genere tam pulchrum, quo 
non pulchrius id sit, unde illud, ut ex ore aliquo, quasi imago, ex- 
primatur, quod neque ooulis, neque auribus, neque ullo sensu peroipi 



THEOEIES OF IDEAL BEAUTV. 61 

Here I conceive is the source and the authority for 
all which has been written on this view of the subject. 
The great artist had formed a conception of beauty: 
the question perpetually returns, By what studies, by 
what theory, had he attained this ? The perplexity 
appears to me to proceed from a distinction being made 
between the pleasures of the mijid, and those addressed 
to the senses. Plautus says that the poet seeks what 
nowhere exists, and yet finds it. His genius supplies 
it, it is in his mind. 

The novelist who has genius to catch and to re- 
present the feelings of men, and their motives to 
action, may give a truer picture of his period than the 
historian, even although he describes what never existed. 
'J'hat is to say, the incidents, the passions, the prejudices, 
which he describes, may never have been combined as 
he combines them ; but they are true to nature, and to 
the state of societj* in which he lives, and are, therefore, 
a record of the time. But this is not the rationale of 
the ideal in painting. 

Or we may illustrate this in another manner. When 
Zeuxis was employed on his Helen, five of the most 
beautiful women were before him, from whom he com- 
posed his perfect beauty. But it was not the object of 
the artist here to produce ideal beauty, or to give that 
repose of sentiment which is the effect of contemplating 



potest; oogitatione tantum et mente compleotinmr. Itaque et 
PhMise simulacris, quibus nihil iu illo genere perfeotiua videmus, 
et his picturis, quas numinavi, cogitare tameii possumus pulchriora. 
Neo vero ille artifex, cum faoeret Jovis fnrinam, aut Minervse, con- 
templabatar aliquem, e quo similitudinem duceret: sed ipsiua in 
mente insidebat species pulehritudinis eximiaqn8edam,quatn iiituena, 
in eaque defixus, ad illius simUitudinem artem et manum dirigebat. 
TJt igitur in formis et fignris est aliquid perfeotum et excellens, 
eujus ad cogitatam speoiem imitando referuntur ea quae anb oculis 
ipsa cadunt : sic perfecta; eloquentise Bpecieni animo ridemog, 
effigiem auribus qusBrimus. ' — Cioebo de Oratore, cap. 2. 



62 THEOEIES OF IDEAL BEAUTY. 

the Medioean Venus ; his aim was to represent a beau- 
tiful and seductive woman, whose charms were to lead 
men to extravagance. And why have not painters with 
the same means attained to the same perfection? It 
has been answered — Because they have not had the same 
genius. On which M. Quatremere de Quincy observes, 
" What, then, is a model, if genius be still necessary 
in order to imitate it ? Who shall tell whether it is 
the model that causes genius to see the image of beauty ; 
or, genius that sees its ovm idea in the model ? " * 

There has been another theory advanced, that, in the 
antique statue there is presented to us the grandeur 
of form and the proportions of man, as he originally 
proceeded from the Creator : such as he was designed 
to be before he was subjected to labour, poverty, and 
sickness. 

But in the early times of all people, their gods have 
been represented by the trunks of trees, or pillars rudely 
carved ; and, when improved, it has been by imitating 
the human form with simplicity. At first, the head 
was carved as on a pedestal ; then the neck, breast, and 
shoulders, and the indication of sex ; then the arms and 
the extremities were imperfectly blocked out, until, at 
length, and after ages had passed, the members were 
displayed free, and the figure perfected in manly 
beauty. 

I shall once more endeavour to analyse that pj-ocess 
of thought by which, out of the contemplation of nature, 
ideal perfection is derived. The idea of the divine form 

• The same author thu3 expresses himself: "In this we have 
the enigma ot'Plautus solved; in every nrt, whatever conies within 
the scope of the understanding, of sentiment, and of genius, does 
ni t really exist anywhere ; has neither substance nor place, and is 
subjected to no one of the senses, while he who finds it is unable to 
point out where he has seen the model of it." 

Tliis is lunguiige which puffs up the young artist to inoi-dinata 
conceit : and, instead of studying, sets hin- a drt aming of something 
for wJiioli he is to be beholden to his innate genius. 



THEORIES OF IDEAL BEAUTT. 63. 

in the mind of any man, wliatever may be his genius, 
lias been acquired, and is of human origin ; and the 
attempts of all painters and sculptors to embody the 
idea in their works, evince that such is the case, 'i'hat 
a man of genius has an idea of perfection cannot bo 
the result of pure imagination. Whatever conceptions 
he may entertain must have been acquired ; and the 
question returns, How? Let us suppose a painter tp 
have before him the three Graces ; their perfections 
are not the same ; for to have full influence on the 
heart, we know that, however beautiful, each must be 
individual; that the form, the attitude, and the ex- 
pression must be varied, or the interest and grace are 
injured. The attempt of the painter to combine what 
is beautiful in each, into one more perfect, would, in 
my opinion, fail ; nature would be lost, and the whole 
prove inconsistent. At all events, the combination of 
individual human beauty, however made, and with 
whatever exercise of genius contrived, would not pro- 
duce what is aimed at, — ideal beauty, as exhibited in 
the remains of antiquity; a form which we acknow- 
ledge to be beautiful, but which has had no existence 
in life or in models. 

With the view of attaining beauty, the artist is not 
to slight nature or to avoid it, but to study it deeply, 
as the only source of improvement. He must not only 
contemplate those beauties which we may suppose to 
stand before him, but consider where they differ from 
others less admirable. How beautiful that smile 
How eloquent those lips ! Let him ask himself in what 
this consists. Smiling and speech are characteristic of 
man, and are bestowed to express the affections of the 
heart, and communicate thought. Give to the mouth 
the capacity for these. Observe the forehead, and the 
defined eyebrow : — What is there in nature superior ? 



64 THEOEIES OF IDEAL BEAUTY. 

Let liim mark them, and then raise and throw forward 
the forehead, a feature especially human, and elevating 
to the countenance. Now he sees that depth is given 
to the eye ; that the shadows fall with bold relief, the 
ej'ebrow acquires more freedom, stands in a finer arch, 
and is more expressive of agreeable emotions. And 
thus he passes from point to point ; from one feature 
to another, — the nose, the ear: exaggerating a little 
the outline of whatever indicates the higher and purer 
qualities, and avoiding what is low, or whatever is 
associated with the baser human passions or with the 
form of the brutes ; and by insensible gradations, and 
long contemplation of what is highest and best, he 
acquires, and from nature, that idea which is, in his 
mind, the perfection of form. 

Supposing that a painter so tutored is set with his 
fellows to copy a model; by his knowledge of what 
constitutes humanity in its most perfect condition, and 
of what is indicative of human sentiment, he is enabled 
to elevate his design ; and then it is acknowledged 
that, whilst he has preserved the likeness, he has refined 
it, and has introduced something of the puiity of the 
antiqiie. 

Although 1 have taken the form of the head and the 
features for illustration, the principle is applicable to 
the whole figure. In comparing the finer forms of 
antique statues with those of the Athletfe, Lapithse, 
and Fauns, down to the brutes, we see that the grace, 
tlie repose, and the nobler attitudes of the human body, 
are preserved in the former, to the exclusion of what- 
ever belongs to individual character, or partakes, by 
association, of what is mean in condition. 

The Satyr and Faun are as mules and hybrids ; the 
man and the brute are joined ; sometimes with the 
horns and the hoofs, sometimes with nothing more dis- 
tinctive than the tail; and the conception is fulfilled 



NATIONAL PECULIAEITIES. 65 

by tlie grossness of form, the muscular development 
and the proportions indicative of activity. But there 
is neither freedom nor grace of movement in the position 
of the body or limbs, nor in their proportions or contour. 
In short, we have the Apollo and Marsyas exhibiting 
a perfect contrast, and shewing that which is charac- 
teristic in the one reversed in the other. 




KATIOIfAL PECULIARITIES IN THE FORM OF THE HEAD. 

Sir David V\ ilkie, whose loss we have had so lately 
to deplore, was one of my earliest pupils, having at- 
tended a course of my lectures on anatomy, as connected 
with design. On returning from the Continent in 
August, 1840, I found him preparing for a journej' ; 
and he made me guess whither he was going. To 
Home ? — no. To Greece ? — no. Surely not to court 
fortune in India ? — no. He was setting off to the Holy 



66 NATIONAL PEdULIAEITIES IN 

Land, to study there an Eastern people. In this, he 
displayed that energy which ever accompanies genius, 
How mnoh of character, in feature and costume, would 
he not have thrown into his future pictures ! Here we 
have a lesson from one entitled to sway our opinion on 
his art, of the importance of a knowledge of national 
forms to the historical painter. It is for this reason 
that I introduce a slight accoui.t of the varieties of the 
hu'nan head, depending on national peculiarities. It 
may assist the artist in the study of such natives of 
foreign countries as he may chance to meet with. 

Even in the most admired productions of art, I find 
little to which I can refer for elucidating this suhject. 
SculiJtors and painters have been too commonly content 
to characterize an inhabitant of the East by a tu*'t of 
hair on his crown ; or an African, by a swarthy face. 
There is a late publication that illustrates the qnestiun 
of national peculiarities in a very interesting way,— a 
folio volume which contains accurate portraits of the 
skulls of all the American races, from the old inhabi- 
tants of Mexico and Peru to those of the farthest north.* 

In considering the extraordinary collection of skulls 
in this work, with the view of marking the relation 
between the form of the head and superiority of mind, 
in men of cultivated intellect, as contrasted with those 
leading a savage life, it must be acknowledged that 
much is wanting. Although there can be no objection 
to the mode adopted by the writer of estimating the 
actual mass of brain ; yet his measurements ought to 
have been made in reference to the dimensions of the 
whole body. The size of the cranium, and consequently, 
the volume of the brain, must be relative to the face ; 
and the face can be taken only as an imjerfect index 
of the entire skeleton. If the cavity of the skull is to 

• " Crauiii A meiioana," by Dr. Morton. Professor of Anatomy in 
Pennaylvania College. 



THE FORM OF THE HEAD. 67 

lie gauged, — if the quantity of sand or of seeds, wLich 
different crania are capable of containing, is to be 
measured, the comparison will not be satisfactory, un- 
less the measurement of each be contrasted with that 
of the face and of the body ; and be also examined 
with respect to the proportions of the brain itself, or 
its form. 

Again, it is taken for granted, that we who exercise 
our best faculties within the four walls of a house, must 
have a development of brain beyond what the free- 
dweller in the plains or forests of, what is termed, a 
new country can possess. I believe, on the contrarj'', 
that man, in his state of nature, has imposed upon him 
the necessity of bringing into operation quite as many 
faculties of mind as the man at his desk ; and that, 
from the brain being exercised in every use to which 
the external senses are put, its volume is not inferior 
to that of the individual in civilised life. We must 
take along with us this consideration, that the exercise 
of our external senses infers an accompanying activity 
of the brain : that of the nervous apparatus appro- 
priated to the senses, it is the exterioi jjart alone that 
is given to the eye, ear, nose, tongue : the internal part, 
forming the eensorium, is in the brain. Eemembering 
this, and that the powers exercised by the savage are 
not instincts, as in the brutes, but operations of the 
mind calling the brain into action, T am unwilling to 
grant that any measurable deficiency in its mass, as a 
whole, is likely to be perceived. Were it really so, we 
should find the gamekeeper inferior to his master in a 
greater degree than my experience warrants. 

Every one must have observed amone; those with whom 
he lives, that there is as siuoh variety in feature, stature, 
yilour hair, beard, &o., as thert, is in expression of 
countenance • and a very little philosophy will indicate 
the necessity of such varieties, for the constitution of 

F 2 



68 NATIONAL PECtTLIAEITIES IN 

society. But in regard to national peculiarities, al- 
though the distinctions between individual of a par- 
ticular country are, doubtless, in many instances as 
great as between the people of one country compared 
with another ; yet there are certain forms of head, or 
casts of feature, or peculiarities of hair, and com- 
plexion, which characterize different nations. 

We need not here enter into the question, how these 
distinctions have been produced. Tt would require much 
critical examination to decide whether national ])ecu- 
liarities of form are owing to an original provision, by 
which the structure changes, and acquires distinctive 
characters under the influence of circumstances — such as 
of the various climates to which the first familits were 
exposed, on their dispersion from one centre ; or whether 
there are truly distinct races which had a conformation 
and constitution from the beginning, suited to the 
regions for which they were destined, and to which 
they were blindly diiven. 

All testimony agrees in shewing that mankind was 
first planted in Western Asia ; there, in the valleys, per- 
petual su mmer reigns ; there the vegetable productions 
bfest suited to man's nourishment are most abundant : 
there are the animals, in a state of nature, which are led 
by their instincts to yield themselves up to his use — the 
horse, the ass, the cow, the sheep, the goat, the camel, 
the dog ; and there the climate is so favourable to the 
human constitution, that even now we look to these 
countries for examples of perfection, both in feature 
and colour, of man himself. 

From this part of the globe, the varieties of man 
distinguished as to exterior form and complexion, may 
be traced divergingly : to this "point the sciences and 
arts may be followed back; and the study of the 
derivation of tongues, and of the grammatical cou- 
atruotio» of languages, does not negative the conclusion, 



THE FOEM OF THE HEAD. 69 

but rather indicates that this part of the earth was the 
centre from which the nations spread. 

The grouping of mankind into races has occupied 
the ingenuity of many naturalists and physiologists, 
from the time of Buffon and Linnaaus to the present 
daj- ; but we rest principally on the authority of 
l^lumenbach. In. the valleys of the Caucasus, between 
the Black Sea and the Caspian, we may distinguish, 
in the Caucasian family, those features which, according 
to the views just presented, we should say were tho 
nearest to perfection. The skull is large and fully 
developed in front; the face is small, and the features 
well proportioned ; the forehead is elevated : the nose 
arched, or raised; the teeth perpendicular in their 
sockets ; the chin round, and the lips full of expression ; 
the skin fair; the eyes dark; the eyebrows arched; 
the eyelashes long ; and the hair varied in colour . 
The Circassians have long been noted for the beauty 
of the women, and for the imposing stature, elegance, 
and activity of the men : and the Georgians and other 
triV«8 are remarkable for personal beauty. 

From this centre, proceeding westward, we recognise 
the Europeans. The original inhabitants of Thessaly 
and Greece are designated as the Pelasgic branch : 
that enterprising and migratory people, who at an early 
period extended to Italy, and from whom descended the 
Etruscans. The Hellenes, or Greeks, receiving letters 
fiom the Phoenicians, surpassed all the nations of 
antiquity, in philosophy, literature, and art. The 
Greek face is a fine oval ; the forehead full, and carried 
forward; the eyes large; the nose straight; the lips 
and chin finely formed : in short, the forms of the 
head and face have been the type of the antique, and 
of all which we most admire. The modem Greeks 
are still distinguished by athletic proportions and fine 
features. 



70 NATIONAI, PECULIAEITIES IN 

Tlie I'omau head differs from the Greek, in having 
a more arched forehead, a nose more aquiline, and 
features altogether of a more decided character; and 
this is even apparent in the busts of that people, as 
exhibited in the two splendid volumes of Visconti. 
The remarks of Bishop Wiseman on this bubject are 
important, as his lectures were delivered in Rome, and 
to persons who had only to step out of the college to 
ascertain their accuracy. Travellers have often stated 
that the countenances of the population beyond the 
Tiber exactly resemble those of the Eoman soldiers 
on the column of Trajan; but Dr. Wiseman observes 
correctly, that any one slightly acquainted with art, 
will soon be satisfied that the model on these historical 
monuments is really Grecian, and can give no aid 
in ascertaining the physiognomy of the ancient in- 
habitants of Italy. He bids us look to the busts 
and reclining statues of the ancient Eomans, carved 
on the sarcophagi, or to the series of imperial busts in 
the Capitol, where we shall discover the true type of 
the national figure, viz., a large, flat head, a low and 
wide forehead, a face broad and square, a short and 
thick neck, and a stout and broad trunk : proportions 
totally at variance with what are generally considered 
to be those of the ancient Koman. Nor have we to go 
far, if in Eome, to find their descendants ; they are 
to be met with every day in the streets, principally 
among the burgesses or middle class.* 

* " For my part, I looked for the type of the Koman solder 
among the Galleotti. Tliere was a body of these condemned 
men chained together, who where marched every evening from 
their work of rebuilding the great basilica of St. Paul's, beyond 
the walls. This church, which was burnt, stands some way out 
of Kome, and I walked beside and behind these bands ; and finer 
figures are not to bu conceived ; their loose dress, and the gyves 
upon their legs, gave to their air and attitude something formid- 
able. They seemed fit for the offices of a tyrant, and to subdue 
the world. I must ever remember one evening, when I saw thoas 



Till. FORM OF THE HEAD 71 

The German race has been spread, from east to 
west, over a great part of Europe, blending with the 
Celts. It is separated into the Teutonic and Solavoniau 
families; their military enterprises form the history 
of the darker ages, when they came down upon the 
Eoman empire. Other hordes mingled with the 
Tartars ; and are recognised in history, as the people 
who broke in upon the Persian and the Eoman empires 
in the east. The Celtic Gaul of the Eomans gave 
residence to a race, which is now diminished to the 
_remnant living in the mountainous districts of the 
extreme west of Europe. 

The Mongolian Tartars occupy great part of the 
north of Asia and Europe. The ej'elids of this people 
are oblique, the nose is small and flat, broad towards the 
forehead ; the cheek-bones are high, the chin short, 
and the lips large and thick; the ears are flat and 
square; the general form of the head round. The 
Mongol Tartar tribes have become mixed with the 
neighbouring nations, and exhibit a variety of physio- 
gnomy. Hordes of this people invaded China, and 
settling in the north of that great empire have blended 
with the original Chinese. 

To the north-west, they mingled with the polar 
races, and have merged in the Kamschatkans and 
Tungusians; the Huns, whose incursions into more 
civilised Europe are recorded in history, were Mongol 
Tartars. The primitive Turks were also of the same 



men, with their mounted guards, passing under the Arch of Titus, 
and the broad shadow of the Colosseum. Dr. Wiseman says, in 
regard to the sculptures on that arch, that the profiles of Jhe 
soldiers shew that there was a rule, or model, adapted to the 
common men, and from which the artist might not depart ; whiie 
the figiu-e of the emperor, seated in his chariot, forms a strong 
contrast to them. Though his features are now quite effaced, 
enough remains of the outline to shew the full, heavy face, aad 
bulky head of a true Boman." — Notes from Journal. 



72 NATIONAL PKCULIAEITIES IN 

race; but, by overmnniiig Circassia, Georgia, Greece, 
and Arabia, their physical character has been changed, 
and they have become a handsome people. The open 
nostril and short nose, which mark the Turkish coun- 
tenance, still betray their original extraction; their 
eyes are dark and animated, and the whole face is ex- 
pressive and intelligent. 

The Chinese skull is oblong, the frontal bone narrow 
in proportion to the width of the bones of the face. 
A(iCordingly the countenance is flat, and the cheeks 
expanded ; the eyelids are not freely open, and are 
drawn obliquely up towards the temples ; the eyebrows 
are black and highly arched ; the nose is small and 
flattened, with a marked depression separating it from ' 
the forehead; the hair is black, and the colnplexion 
sallow. 

The Malay race is scattered through the Indian 
Islands, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Auiboyna, Celebes, the 
Philippines, Moluccas. The forehead, in the Malay, is 
prominent and arched, but low ; the orbits oblique and 
oblong ; the nasal bones broad and flattened ; the 
cheek-bones high and expanded ; the jaws projecting. 
The head is, altogether, large ; the mouth and the lips 
protrude; the nose is short, depressed, and flattened 
towards the nostrils ; the eyes are small and oblique. 
They are of a brown complexion, varying in the dif- 
ferent tribes. 

Some uncertainty prevails as to the race to which 
the ancient Egyptians belonged. This has arisen from 
the difficulty of reconciling the early and extensive 
knowledge of that people, with the acknowledged de- 
ficiency of capacity in the Negro. We might expect 
that the mummies and drawings in their pyramids and 
tombs should have long since decided the question; 
but the position of Egypt may account for the obscurity. 
Being oh the confines of two great continents, the 



THE FORW OF THE HEAD. 73 

Egyptians became early a mixed people. Tlie skull 
is found to be well formed, and unlike that of the 
Ethiopian. The probability is, that the Negro was 
then, as now, a subjugated race.* 

The Greek applied the terms Ethiop and Indian to 
all the dark people of the south. By Ethiopian, we 
now correctly understand the different races which 
inhabit the interior of Africa; extending from the 
south of Mount Atlas and Abyssinia to the country of 
the Caffres and Hottentots. 

The general character of the Negro countenance 
is familiar to us. Of the great antiquity of the race 
there can be no doubt. When, indeed, the effigy of the 
Negro is found depicted on the ancient walls of Egypt, 
and vessels are dug up, the characters on which are 
read by modern Chinese, we may well despair of obtain- 
ing anything like a satisfactory history of the spread 
of nations, and the settlement of mankind in the 
different regions of the globe. The depression of the 
forehead and compression of the temples, which are 
distinctive of the Africans, although there be splendid 
examples of fine form among the nations of that con- 
tinent, mark them as a degraded race.'f 

Diverging still from the presumed central origin of 

* Blumenbaoh thinks that he can discover among the mummies 
the heads of the Ethiopian, the Indian, and the Besbers. Deiiou 
conceives that the female mummies indicate that the women of 
ancient Egypt had great beauty. 

t The great families of mankind are distinguished by colour as 
well as form and features. The Caucasian by white ; the African 
by black ; the Mongolian by olive, tending to yellow ; the Malay 
by tawny ; the American by brown, or nearly copper hue. The 
colour of the hair, and that of the iris partake of the colour of the 
skin. The Caucasian, with fair complexion, has red, brown, or light- 
coloured hair, and the eyes of different shades of grey and blue. 
In those of darker complexion, the hair is black and the eyes dark. 
In the Mongol, the hair is tliin, stiff, and stra'ght In the Euro- 
pean, soft, flexible, and flowing. In the Negro, thick-.-et, str.mg, 
ehoi't, anj curly. But in all races there spring up occasional 
VKi'iuties. 



r74 NATIONAL PECULIAEITIES IN 

mankind, we find the Polynesian family in the islands 
of the Paciflo Ocean. The inhabitants of these Isles 
are of middle stature, athletic, with heavy limbs. 
Their faces are round or delicately oval ; the nose is 
well formed, straight or aquiline, sometimes spread 
out, but not having the flatness of the Negro ; the fore- 
head is low, but not receding ; the eyes black, bright, 
and expressive ; the lips full, and the teeth fine.* 

In America, the same difficulties present themselves 
in relation to the origin and propagation of races as 
in the Old World. The most recent inquiries authorise 
the distinction of two families inhabiting America : 
first, a race called Toltecan, belonging originally to 
Mexico and Peru, which, from the shapes of the skulls 
found in the graves, and the accompanying relics, give, 
evidence of greater civilisation than belongs to th(j 
present natives ; and secondly, a people which extendinj; 
over the greater portion of the vast continent, embraces 
all the barbarous nations of the New World, except- 
ing the polar tribes, or Mongolian Americans, which 
are presumed to be straggling parties from Asia, such 
as the Esquimaux, Greenlanders, and Fins. 

In the native American, there is no trace of the 
frizzled locks of the Polynesian or the woolly texture 
on the head of the Negro. The hair is long, lank, 
and black ; the beard is deficient ; the cheek-bones are 
large and prominent; the lower jaw broad and ponderous, 
truncated in front ; the teeth vertical and very large ; 
the nose is decidedly arched, and the nasal cavities of 
great size. They ought not to be called the copper- 
coloured race. The colour is brown, or of a cinnamon 
tint. As in the Old World, the colour varies, and 

* It is amusing to find voyagers making distinctions here be- 
tween the plebeian and the aristocratic classes. But so it is every- 
where. Among the Lybians and Moors, as in the countries of Asia 
and Europe, the comforts and luxuries of life improve the phy- 
sical condition of man. 



THE FOKM OF THE HEAD. 75 

tlie darkness does not always oorrespond to tlie climate 
or vicinity to the equator. 

Of the imperfect sketch of the varieties of mankind, 
which I have here presented, every sentence liiight be 
the text of a long essay. But in this, as in the whole 
volume, I have attempted only to awaken attention, 
and to make the reader an observer of what may 
pass before hiin ; giving him the elements on which 
his ingenuity or acumen is to be employed in his inter- 
course with society. 







( 76 ) 



ESSAY IIL 

OK THOSE SOURCES OF EXPRESSION IN THE HUMAH COUNTB 
NANCE WHICH CANNOT BE EXPLAINED ON THE IDEA Of 
A DIRECT INFLUENCE OF THE MIND UPON THE FEATURES. 



" The heart of a man changeth his countenance, whether for 
good or evil." — The Son of Sieach. 

" I do believe thee ; 
I saw his heart in his face." — Shakspbabb. 



In the human countenance, under the influence of 
passion, there are characters expressed, and changes 
of features produced, which it is impossible to explain 
on the notion of a direct operation of the mind upon the 
features. Ignorance of the source of these changes of 
the features, or inattention to the cause which produces 
them, has thrown an ohscurity over the -whole of tliis 
subject, which it is my wish to remove. 

If, in the examination of the soiivces of expression, 
it should be found that the mind is dependent on the 
frame of the body, the discovery ought not to U. con- 
sidered as humiliating, or as affecting the belief of 
a separate existence of that part of our nature on 
which the changes wrought in the body are ultimately 
impressed. Since we are dwellers in a material world, 
it is necessary that the spirit should be connected with 
it by an organised body, without which it could neither 
feel nor re-act, nor manifest itself in any jray. It 
is a fundamental law of our nature that the mind shall 



ON THE SOURCES OF EXrEESSlON. 77 

have its powers developed through the influence of / 
the hody ; that the organs of the body shall be tho 
links in the chain of relation between it and tho 
material world, through which the immaterial principle 
within shall be affected. 

As the Creator has established this connexion between 
the mind and external nature, so has He implanted, 
or caused to be generated, in us, variotis higher in- 
tellectual faculties. In every intelligent being He has 
laid the foundation of emotions that point to Him, 
affections by which we are drawn to Him, and which 
rest in Him as their object. In the mind of the rudest 
slave, left to the education of the mere elements around 
him, sentiments arise which lead him to a Parent and 
a Creator. These feelings spring up spontaneously; 
they are universal, and not to be shaken off; and no 
better example than this can be given of the adapta- 
tion of the mind to the various relations in which man 
is placed, or one that tends more to raise in us a con- 
ception of the Author of our being, and increase our 
estimation of ourselves, as allied to Him. 

This it is, perhaps, necessary to premise, when I am 
about to prove the extensive influence of the corporeal 
on the intellectual part of man. 

In examining the phenomena of the mind, philo- 
sophers have too much overlooked this relation between 
the mental operations and the condition of the bodily 
frame. It appears to me that the frame of the body, 
exclusive of the special organs of seeing, hearing, &c., I& 
a complex organ, I shall not say of sense, but which 
ministers, like the external senses, to the mind; that 
is to say, as the organs of the five senses serve to furnish 
ideas of matter, the framework of the body contributes, in 
certain conditions, to develop various states of the mind.* 

* But since the brain doth lodge the powers of sense, 
How makes it in the heari those passions spring ? — Dayieb. 



^L 



78 ON THE SOURCES OF EXPRESSION. 

In the affections which we call passions or emotions, 
there is an influence which points to the hreast as the 
part where they are felt. Some have asserted that they 
are seated in the bowels ; and the sensations I am about 
to describe have been arrayed as proofs that the affec- 
tions exist in the body. But that, I affirm, is im- / 
possible. They are conditions of the mind, and cannot 
be seated in the body, although they both influence 
and are influenced by it. 

We have learned enough to know that the impres- 
sions communicated by the external organs of sense 
belong really to the mind ; and there can be no doubt 
that there is a mutual influence exercised by the mind 
and frame on each other. This is not asserted on the 
nicre grounds that each aifection which is deeply felt, 
is accompanied by a disturbance in our breast ; nor on 
the language of mankind, which gives universal assent 
to this pi'oposition ; but it may be proved by circum- 
stances of expression, in which we cannot be deceived. 
I shall make it manifest that what the eye, the ear, or 
the finger, is to the mind, as exciting those ideas which 
have been appointed to correspond with the qiialities of 
the material world, the organs of the breast are to the 
development of our affections ; and that without them 
we might see, hear, and smell, but we should walk the 
earth coldly indifierent to all emotions which may be 
said in an especial manner to animate us, and give in- 
terest and grace to human thoughts and actions. 

By emotions are meant certain changes or affections 

the mind, as grief, joy, astonishment. That such 
states or conditions of the mind should in any degree 
pertain to the body, may not, perhaps, be willingly 
admitted, unless we take along with us that the ideas 
of sense, as light, sound, or taste, are generated by the 
organs of the senses, and not by any thing received amt 
oonv-3yed by them to the sen.sorium. It is ascertained 



ON THE 80UECES OF EXPRESSION. 79 

that the different organs of the senses can he exercised, 
and give rise to sensation and perception, when there 
is no corresponding outward impression ; and the ideas 
thus excited are according to the organ struck or agi- 
tated : that is, the same impression conveyed to different 
organs of sense will give rise to a variety of sensations : 
as light, when the eye is struck ; sound, when the ear 
is struck ; and so on with the other organs ; the sen- 
sation corresponding with the organ which is exercised, 
and not with the cause of the impression. A needle 
passed through the retina, the organ of vision, will 
produce the sensation of a spark of fire, not of sharp- 
ness, or pain ; and the same needle, if applied to ihe 
papillae of the tongue, will give rise to the sense of 
taste ; while if it prick the- skin, pain will follow. This 
law of the senses is arhitrarilj' or divinely ordered ; it 
might have been otherwise. Accordingly, when we 
observe that the organs of the senses operate in pro- 
ducing specific ideas, independently of their own pecu- 
liar exciting causes, we can comprehend better how 
other organs of the body may have a relation established 
vsdth the mind, and a control over it, without reference 
to outward impressions. 

Let us consider the heart, in its oiEce of receiving the 
influence of the mind, and of reflecting that influence. 

It may, in the first place, be observed, that there is 
hardly an organ of the body limited to one function : all 
are complex in their operation. How many offices, for 
example, are performed by the lungs ? It is a singular 
fact in the history of physiological opinions, that the 
heart, an organ the most susceptible of being excited 
by the agitations or derangements of the body, should 
have been considered at one time as insensible. And 
yet in one sense it is true that it is so. To actual touch 
the heart is insensible, as was exhibited to the illus- 
trious Harvey, in the person of a young nobleman, 



f 



80 ON THE SOURCES OF EXPEESSIOX. 

wlio had tlie teart exposed by disease. Tliis single 
circumstance, had there been no other evidence, should 
have earlier directed physiologists to a correct view of 
the matter, from its proving that the internal organs 
are aifected and united by sensibilities which are al- 
together different in kind from those bestowed upon 
the skin. The sensibility of the external surface of the 
body is a special endowment adapted to the ele.nents 
around and calculated to protect the interior parts from 
injury. But though the heart has not this common 
sense of touch, yet it has an appropriate sensibility, by 
which it is held united in the closest connexion and 
sympathy with the other vital organs ; so that it par- 
ticipates in all the changes of the general system of 
the body. » 

But connected with the heart, and depending on its 
peculiar and excessive sensibility, there is an extensive 
apparatus which demands our attention. This is the 
organ of breathing : a part known obviously as the 
instrument of speech ; but which I shall show to be . 
more. The organ of breathing, in its association with ^ 
the heart, is the instrument of expression, and is the 
part of the frame, by the action of which the emotions 
are developed and made visible to us. , Certain strong 
feelings of the mind produce a disturbed condition of 
the heart ; and through that corporeal influence, directly 
from the heart, indirectly from the mind, the extensive 
apparatus constituting the organ of breathing is put 
in motion and gives us the outward signs which we 
call expression. The man was wrong who found fault 
ivith nature for not placing a window before the heart, 
in order to render visible human thoughts and intentions. 
There is, in truth, provision made in the countenance 
and outward bearing for such discoveries. 

One, ignorant of the grounds on which these opinions 
are founded, has said, " Every strong emotion is directed 



ON THE SOUECES OF EXPEESSION. 81 

towards the heart ; the heart experiences various kinds 
of sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, over which it has 
no control; and from thence the agitated spirits are 
diffused over the body.'' The fact is certainly so, 
although the language be figurative. How are these 
spirits diffused, and what are their effects ? 

We find that the influence of the heart upon the 
extended organ of respiration has sway at so early a 
period of our existence, that we must acknowledge that 
the operation or play of the instrument of expression 
precedes the mental eraotions with which they are to 
be joined, accompanies them in their first dawn, 
strengthens them, and directs them. So that it is 
not, perhaps, too much to conclude that, from these 
organs moving in sympa^hy with the mind, the same 
uniformity is produced among men, in their internal 
feelings, emotions, or passions, as there exists in their 
ideas of external nature from the uniform operations of 
the organs of sense. 

Let us place examples before us, and then try whether 
the received doctrines of the passions will furnish us 
with an explanation of the phenomena, or whether we 
must go deeper, and seek the assistance of anatomy. 

In the expression of the passions, there is a compound 
influence in operation. Let us contemplate the appear- 
ance of terror. "We can readily conceive why a man 
stands with eyes intently fixed on the object of his 
fears, the eyebrows elevated to the utmost, and the eye 
largely uncovered ; or why, with hesitating and bewil- 
dered steps, his eyes are rapidly and wildly in search 
of something. In this, we only perceive the intent 
application of his mind to the object of his appre- 
hensions — its direct influence on the outward organ. 
But observe him further : there is a spasm on his 
breast, he cannot breathe freely, the chest is elevated, 
the muscles of his neck and shoulders are in action, bis 



/ 



82 ON THE SOCECES Of EXPRESSION. 

breathing is short and rapid, there is a gasping au'1 a 
convulsive motion of his lips, a trenaor on his hollow 
cheek, a gulping and catching of his throat ; and •why- 
does his heart knock at' his ribs, while yet there is 
no force of circulation? — for his lips and cheeks are 
ashy pale. 

So in grief, if we attend to the same class of phe- 
nomena, we shall be able to draw an exact picture. 
Let us imagine to ourselves the overwhelming influence 
of grief on woman. The object in her mind has ab- 
sovbed all the-powers of the frame, the body is no more 
regarded, the spirits have left it, it reclines, and the 
limbs gravitate ; they are nerveless and relaxed, and 
she scarcely breathes ; but why comes at intervals the 
long-drawn sigh? — why are the neck and throat con- 
vulsed ? — what causes the swelling and quivering of the 
lips, and the deadly paleness of the face ? — or why is the 
hand so pale and earthly cold ? — and why, at intervals, 
as the agony returns, does the convulsion spread over 
he frame like a paroxysm of suffocation ? 

It must, I think, be acknowledged, when we come to 
arrange these phenomena, these outward signs of the 
passions, that they cannot proceed from the direct in- 
fluence of the mind alone. However strange it may 
sound to unaccustomed ears, it is to the heart and 
lungs, and all the extended instrument of breathing, 
that we are to trace these effects. 

Over such motions of the body the mind has an 
unequal control. By a strong effort the outward 
tokens may be restrained, at least in regard to the 
general bearing of the body ; but who, while suffering, 
can retain the natural fulness of his features, or the 
healthful colour of his cheek, the unembarrassed res- 
piration and clearness of the natural voice? The 
villain may command his voice, and mask his purpose 
with light and libertine words, or carry an habitual 



ON THE SOUECES OP EXPRESSION. 83 

sneer of contempt of all softer passions; but liis un- 
natural paleness, and the sinking of his features, will 
Letray that he suffers. Clarence says to his murderers, 

" How deadly dost thou speak ! 
Your eyes do menace me : Why look you pale ? " * 

But the just feelings of mankind demand respect, 
men will not have the violence of grief obtruded on 
them. To preserve the dignity of his character, the 
actor must permit those uncontrollable signs of suffer- 
ing alone to escape, which betray how much he feels, 
and how much he restrains. 

Even while asleep, these interior organs of feeling 
will prevail and disclose the source of expression. Has 
my reader seen Mrs. Siddons in Queen Katherine during 
that solemn scene where the sad note was played which 
she named her knell ? Who taught the crowd sitting 
at a play, an audience differing in age, habits, and 
education, to believe those quivering motions, and that 
gentle smile, and those slight convulsive twitchings, to 
be true to nature ? To see every one hushed to the. 
softest breathing of sympathy with the silent expres- 
sion of the actress, exhibits all mankind held together 
by one universal feeling : and that feeling, excited by 
expression, so deeply laid in our nature, as to have 
influence, without being obvious to reason. 

To illustrate this curious subject, I shall first explain 
the extensive connexions which are established betwixt 
the great organs that sustain life and the muscular 
system of the face, neck, and chest. I shall then shew 
that the functions of these organs are affected by 
passions of the mind. I shall prove that this connexion 
Eubsists at the moment of birth, and accompanies us 
f iirough life ; and, finally, that from this source are 

• " And troubled blood through his pale face was seen 
To come and go, with tidings irom his heart." — Faery Qutes. 

G 2 



84 ON THE SOUECES OF EXPBESSION. 

dorived those otscure indications of emotion in fcno 
countenance and general frame, whicli cannot be ex- 
plained on the supposition of a direct influence of the 
mind on the muscles of expression. 

The heart and the lungs may be safely taken as two 
parts which are combined in the same function. The 
action of the heart, and the motion of the lungs, are 
eqTially necessary to the circulation of that blood which 
is fitted for the supply of the body; and the inter- 
ruption of their motions threatens life. Accordingly, 
these two organs are united by nerves, and consequently 
by the closest sympathy ; and in all the -variations to 
which they are liable, they are still found to correspond, 
the accelerated action of the one being directly followed 
by the excitement of the other. 

The motion of the lungs proceeds from a force 
altogether external to them . they themselves are 
passive, being moved by a very great number of 
muscles which lie iipon the breast, back, and neck; 
that is, the exterior muscles give play to the ribs, 
and the lungs follow the motions of the chest. The 
heart and lungs, though insensible to common im- 
pression, yet being acutely aUve to their proper 
stimulus, suffer from the slightest change of posture 
or exertion of the frame, and also from the changes 
or affections of the mind. The impression thus made 
on these internal organs is not visible by its effect 
upon tiiem, but on the external and remote muscles, 
associated with them. This law exists in all man- 
kind ; we see the consequence in those susceptible and 
nervous persons, whom the mere change of position, or 
the effort of rising, or the slightest emotion « f mind, 
flutters and agitates. But it is when the strong are 
subdued by this mysterious union of soul and body, 
when passioK tears the breast, that the most afflicting 
picture of human frailty is presented, and the suresC 



ON THE SOUECES OF EXPKESSION. 85 

proof afforded, that it is on the respiratory organs that 
the influence of passion falls with so powerful an ex- 
pression of agony. 

The next circumstance of this detail to which I beg 
attention, is the extent of the actions of respiration : 
the remoteness of the parts agitated in sympathy with 
the heart. The act of respiration is not liinited to the 
trunk ; the actions of certain niiiscles of the windpipe, 
the throat, the lips, the nostrils, are necessarj' to expand 
those tubes and openings, so that the air may be ad- 
mitted through them in respiration, with a freedom 
corresponding with the increased action of the chest. 
Without this, the sides of these pliant tubes would fall 
together, and we should be suffocated by exertion or 
passion. Let us consider how many muscles are combined 
in the simple act of breathing — how many are added in 
the act of coughing — how these are changed and modified 
in sneezing; — let us reflect on the various combinations 
of muscles of the throat, windpipe, tongue, lips, in 
speaking and singing, and we shall be able justly to es- 
timate the extent of the muscles which are associated 
with the proper or simple act of dilating and compressing 
the chest. But how much more numerous are the changes 
wrought upon these muscles, when nature employs them 
in the double capacity of communicating our thoughts 
and feelings ; not in the language of sounds merely, but 
in the language of expression in the countenance also : 
for certainly the one is as much their office as the othei- 

The nervous system is complex in an extraordinary 
degree ; but the reader may not be deten-ed from 
attempting to understand at least so much, that there 
is a class of nerves appropriated to respiration. These 
nerves arise from the same part of the brain ; the great 
central nerve descends into the chest, to be distributed 
to the heart and lungs ; and the others extend to the 
exterior muscles of the chest, neck, and face. Under 



8G ON THE SOURCES OF EXPRESSION. 

the influence of the central nerve, the diverging nx- 
t.ernal ones become the instruments of breathing and of 
expression. The labour of many months discloses to 
the anatomist but a part of these nervous cords : and 
the consideration of the uses they serve presents the 
most overwhelming proof of the excellence of design, 
— but a design made manifest by the results, rather 
than comprehensible in its means. 

Can we perfectly understand how tickling the throat 
should produce a convulsion over the whole frame, 
in which a hundred muscles are finely adjusted and 
proportioned in their actions to expel what irritates the 
windpipe ? or, how tickling the nostril should make a 
change in these muscles, throw some out, and bring 
others into action, to the effect of sending the air 
through a different tube to remove what is offensive, 
and all this without the act of the will. 

Let us see how the machine works. Observe a man 
threatened with suffocation : remark the sudden and 
wild energy that pervades every feature ; the contrac- 
tions of his throat, the gasping and the spasmodic 
switchings of his face, the heaving of his chest and 
shoulders, and how he stretches his hands, and catches 
like a drowning man. These are efforts made under 
the oppressive, intolerable sensation at his heart ; and 
the moans which nature employs, to guard and preserve 
the animal machine, giving to the vital organ a sensi- 
bility that irresistibly excites to the utmost exertion. 

It is this painful sensation that introduces us to 
"this breathing world," which guards the vital func- 
tions through life, as it draws iis into existence. Pain 
is the agent which most effectuallj' rouses the dormant 
faculties of both mind and body. While the child 
slumbfrs in the womb it does not live by breathing, 
it possesses an organ which performs the office of the 
lungs. In the bii'th there is a short interval, betwixt 



ON THE SOURCES OF EXPRESSION. 87 

the loss of the one organ, and the substitution of the 
other ; nor would the breath ever be drawn, or tlie lungs 
perform their function, but for this painful and irresist- 
ible nisus, which calls the whole corresponding muscles 
into action. Spasms and contractions are seen to extend 
over the infant's chest ; the features are working, and 
the muscles of the face agitated, probably for the first 
time : at last, air is admitted into the lungs, a feeble cry- 
is heard, the air in successive inspirations fully dilates 
the chest, and the child cries lustily. Now the regu- 
lar respiration is established, and the animal machinery 
subsides into repose. 

" We came crying hither. 
Thou know'st, the first time that we smell the air 
We wawl and cry : I will preach to thee : mark, 
When we are born, we cry, that we are come 
To this great stage of fools !" — Lear. 

With the revolution which the whole economy haa 
undergone, new wants are engendered, new appetites ; 
these are again lulled by the mother's breast. During 
all this no one sympathises with the little sufferer : 
the grimace with which he enters the world excites 
only smiles. 

" On parent's knees, a naked new-born child, 
Weeping thou sat'st, while all around thee smiled — 
So live, that sinking in thy last long sleep 
Calm thou may'st smile, when all around thee weep." 

From the Persian. 

" Anger," says Lord Bacon, " is certainly a kind 
of baseness, as it appears well in the weakness of 
those subjects in whom it reigns — children, women, 
old folks, sick folks." But this I may say, that anger is 
at no period of life so strongly impressed upon human 
features, as in the first moment of our visiting the light. 
At the instant of our birth, an association of muscles 
is fcrmed, and at the same time put in operation 



88 ON THE SOHECES OF EXPRESSION. 

stamping a character of expression wHcli betrays the 
wants of the body in early infancy, and the sufferings 
of the mind in the after period. The frame of the body, 
constituted for the support of the vital functions, becomes 
the instrument of expression ; and an extensive class of 
passions, by influencing the heart, by affecting that 
sensibility which governs the muscles of respil-ation, 
calls them into co-operation, so that they become an 
undeviating and sure sign of certnin states or condi- 
tions of the mind. They are the organs of expression. 

Eeturning now to the contemplation of any of the 
stronger passions, we comprehend much which was 
before obscure. We see why that grief which strikes 
the heart should affect the regularity of breathing* — 
why the muscles of the throat should be affected with 
spasm — why slight quivering motions pass from time 
to time over the face, the lips, and cheeks, and nostrUs j 
— because these are the organs of respiration, organs 
which have their muscles united to the sensibility of the 
heart, and moved under its influence. Kow we compre- 
hend, how the passion of rage or terror binds and 
tightens the chest, how the features are so singularly 
agitated by the indirect, as well as by the direct in- 
fluence of the passions — how the words are cut — how 
the voice sticks in the thi-oat — how the paralysed lips 
refuse the commands of the will, so that they are held 
in a mixed state of violence and weakness, which, more 
than anj fixed expression, characterises the influence 
of the passion. 

Blushing. — The sudder flushing of the countenance 
in blushing belongs to expression, as one of the many 
sources of sympathy which bind us together. This suf- 
fusion serves no purpose of the economy, whilst we must 
acknowledge the interest which it excites as an indica- 

• The grief that does not speak, 

Wldspers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break.— ilfao6e«i. 



ON THE SOUECE& OP EXPRESSION. 89 

tion of mind. It adds perfection to tte features of 
beauty.* 

The colour which attends exertion, or the violent 
passions, as of rage, arises from general vascular ex- 
citement, and differs from blushing. Blushing is too 
sudden and too partial to be traced to the heait's 
action. That it is a provision for expression may be 
inferred from the colour extending only to the surface 
of the face, neck, and breast, the parts most exposed. 
It is not acquired ; it is from the beginning. It is 
unlike the effect of powerful, depressing emotions, 
which influence the whole body. The sudden con- 
viction of the criminal is felt in every pore ; but the 
colour caused by blushing gives brilliancy and interest 
to the expression of the face. In this we perceive an 
advantage possessed by the fair family of mankind, 
and which must be lost to the dark ; for I can hardly 
believe that a blush may be seen in the Negro.f We 
think of blushes as accompanying shame; but it is 
indicative of excitement. There is no shame when 
lively feeling makes a timid youth break through the 
restraint which modesty and reserve have imposed. It 
is becoming in youth, it is seemly in more advanced 
years in women. Blushing assorts well with youthful 
and with effeminate features ; whilst nothing is more 
hateful than a dog-face, that exhibits no token of sen- 
sibility in the variations of colour. 

* Dr. Burgess, who has written a volume on "Blushing," affirrrs 
that a Circassian maid who blushes, brings a Higher price in the 
slave-market ! 

t A wound in the black leaves a scar in which the dark pigment 
of the skin is wanting; and the white spot, formed by such a cicatrix 
in the face of the Negro, reddens with passion. 

In contrasting, by comparative anatomy, the internal structure 
of animals, we find in some classes, parts of, the organization ap- 
parently useless or superfluous, to discover the full development 
and appropriate functions of which, we must refer to other classes. 
If the black blushes uui-een, it only shews that the incidental coloui 
does not affect the general structure aid processes. 



( 90 ) 



ESSAY IV. 

OF THE MUSCLES OF THE FACE IN" MAN. 

The muscular part of the animal frame consists of a 
peculiar flesty substance, possessing tlie power of con- 
traction, and, consequently, of producing motion. In 
the limbs and trunk, the muscles are attached to the 
bones, and are distinct and powerful : but as in the face 
they have merely to operate on the skin, the lips, nostrils 
and eyelids, they require less power, and are, therefore, 
more delicate. And that power is not always directly 
under the will, like the muscular exertions of the body 
and limbs ; it is often involuntary, and is inseparably 
united to the conditions or affections of the mind. The 
latter consideration gives much interest to the subject ; 
for, by this provision in the muscles, the very spirit by 
which the body is animated, and the various emotions, 
shine out in the countenance. 

It has been said that the superiority of the human 
face in expression is an accidental effect of the number 
of muscles which are provided in man for the faculty of 
speech. That many of the muscles called into action 
in speech are also employed in expression will be 
readily admitted ; but besides these, there are muscles 
of the human features which have no connexion with 
the voice, and are purely instrumental in expression. 
Further, the human countenance is pre-eminent in 
possessing, not only the muscles proper to man, but 
also the peculiarities of two great classes of the lower 
animals, having the muscles which are characteristic ol 
both these classes combined. 



MUSCLES OF THE FOREHEAD AND EYEBKOW. 91 

• To understand what follows, it is not necessary for 
ihe reader to know more of the structure of muscles 
than that they are formed of distinct packets of fibres ; 
that the extremities are called their origins and in- 
sertions : the fixed extremity, attached generally to 
some point of bone, being the origin ; the extremity 
which is moved, the insertion. I shall consider the 
muscles of the face in three groups. First, those 
which surround the eye ; secondly, those which move 
the nostrils ; and lastly, those around the mouth. 
And first, 

OF THE MUSCLES OF THE FOREHEAD AND EYEBROW. 

The forehead is more than any other part charac- 
teristic of the human countenance. It is the seat of 
thought, a tablet where every emotion is distinctly 
impressed ; and the eyebrow is the moveable type for 
this fair page. 

" Frons hominis tristitiaa, hilaritatis, dementia, severitalis, 
index est." Pliky 

The eye is the chief feature of expression. It takes 
a thousand shades from the relations of the surrounding 
parts ; and the eyebrow, that dark arch which sur- 
mounts it, is itself an eloquent index of the mind. 
Some one has called the eyebrow " the rainbow of peace, 
or the bended bow of discord."* 

There are four muscles attached to the eyebrow. 

1. A muscle, called occipito frontalis (a), descends 
over the forehead, and is inserted into the eyebrow, 
where it mingles its fibres with the next muscle. The 
simple action of the frontal portion of the occipito 

* Yea, this man's brow, like to a title-leaf, 
Fortels the nature of a tragic volume ; 
So looks the strond, whereon the impenous flood 
Hath left a witnessed usurpation. — Shakspeabb. 



92 MUSCLES OF THE FOREHEAD AND EYEBROW, 

frontalis is to raise or arcli the eyebrow, as in surprise 
or doubt; or, as if we meant to say, "I must look 
further into this.'' 

2. The muscle which closes the eyelids, is the orbim- 
laris palpebrarum (b). We shall divide this muscle 
into three parts. Its fibres surround the eye, being 
spread in a circular direction upon the margin of the 
orbit and the eyelids. The stronger portion, encircling 
the orbit, shuts the eyelids with that spasmodic force 
which is felt when something irritating is thrown 




into the eye. The paler and more delicate fibres, which 
lie more immediately upon the eyelids, gently close the 
eye, as in winking, or in sleep. A third set of fibres is 
situated directly on the margins of the eyelids.* It is 
the outer and stronger circle which draws down the eye- 
brow, and is the direct opponent of the occipito frontalis. 
3. The third muscle (c), is properly a part of the 
first, and is termed the descending slip of the occipito 
frontalis. As it descends on the side of the nose to be 
attached to the bridge, it has a difierent effect from the 

* For the actions of these different portions of the general 
muscle, see the author's "Practical Essays," Part I. on Squinting, 



MUSCLES OF THE FOREHEAD AND EYEBEOW. 93 

greater part of tlie muscle : it draws down the inuer 
extremity of the eyebrow. 

4. The next muscle is the corrugator supercilii (d). It 
arises from the lowest point of the frontal bone, where 
it joins the bones of the nose, and running obliquely up- 
wards, is inserted into the skin under the eyebrow. 
The two muscles acting together knit the eyebrows. 
These are the muscles of the forehead and eyebrows. 

In the arched and polished forehead, terminated by 
the distinct line of the eyebrow, there is an especial 
capacity for indicating human thought. The lines drawn 
here often give meaning of a high character to motions 
of the features in the lower part of the face, which 
would otherwise express mere animal activity. And it 
is not a fleshy brow that is best adapted for expression 
The fulness of the forehead and around the eyes, which 
the arti.sts and poets combined to give to Hercules, 
conveys the idea of dull, brutal strength, and a lower- 
ing expression ; while the forehead of the thin, pale 
stndent, may evince intelligence or elevation-of thought. 

The levator pnlpehrcB superioris, the muscle which raises 
the upper eyelid, and is an opponent of the orbicularis, 
arises deep within the orbit, and is attached in front 
to the cartilage which gives form and firmness to the 
upper eyelid. 

There are also within the orbit six other muscles, 
which are inserted into the eyeball. Their action is a 
subject of high interest, to discuss which would require 
a volume. I must limit myself to the question of the 
expression of the eye; referring the reader for more 
ample illustrations, to those memoirs which treat of 
the subserviency of the muscles to vision, and of their 
action in cleaning the cornea, and protecting the 
organ.* 

* See the " Nervous System," 4th edition, p. 145 ; " Bridgewatei 
Treatise on the Hand," Bohn's Library. 



94 THE EXPKESSION OP THE EYE. 



OF THE EXPRESSION OF THE HUMAN EYE. 

The eye is tlie most lively feature in the counte- 
nance; the first of our senses to awake, and the last to 
cease motion. It is indicative of the higher and the 
holier emotions — of all those feelings which distinguish 
man fiom the brutes. 

A large eye is not only consistent with beauty, but 
necessary to it. The eye of the eagle, even of the ox, is 
familiar in the similes of poets. The Arab expresses 
his idea of a woman's beauty, by saying, that she has 
the eye of the gazelle ; it is the burthen of their songs 
The timidity, gentleness, and innocent fear, in the eye 
of the deer tribe, are compared with the modesty of a 
young girl. " Let her be as the loving hind, and 
pleasant roe." In the eye we look for meaning, foi 
human sentiment, for reproof.* 

Do architects study enough, when arranging the 
masses of their buildings for effect, how the shadows 
-will fall? The statuary, at all events, must. "The 
eye ought to be sunk," says "Winkelmann.f Yes, rela- 
tively to the forehead ; but not in reference to the face. 
That would give a very mean expression. It is the 
strong shadow produced by the projecting eyebrow, 
which gives powerful effect to the eye, in sculpture. 

We have said, that the eye indicates the holier emo- 
tions. In all stages of society, and in every clime, 
the posture and expression of reverence have been 
the same. The works of the great masters, who 
have represented the more sublime passions of man, 
may be adduced as evidences : by the upturned direction 

* " I gave Mm," said Dr. Parr, " the chastisement of my eye." 
t "Auxtetes ide'ales, les yeux sent toujours plus enfoncesqu'ils 
le le sont en general dans la nature." 



THE EXPEESSIOX OF THE EYE. 95 

of the eyes, and a correspondence of feature and atti- 
tude, they address us in language intelligible to all 
mankind. The humble posture and raised eyes are 
natural, whether in the darkened chamber, or under the 
open vault of heaven. 

On first consideration, it seems merely consistent, 
that when pious thoughts prevail, man should turn 
his eyes from things earthly to the purer objects 
above. But there is a reason for this, which is every 
way worthy of attention. When subject to particular 
influences, the natural position of the eyeball is to be 
directed upwards. In sleep, languor and depression, 
or when affected with strong emotions, the eyes naturally 
and insensibly roll upwards. The action is not a volun- 
tary one ; it is irresistible. Hence, in reverence, in devo- 
tion, in agony of mind, in all sentiments of pity, in bodily 
pain with fear of death, the eyes assume that position. 

Ijet us explain by what muscles the eyes are so 
revolved. There are two sets of muscles which govern 
the motions of the eyeball. Four straight muscles, 
attached at cardinal points by combining their action, 
move it in every direction required for vision; and 
these muscles are subject to the will. When the straight 
muscles, from weariness or exhaustion, cease to guide 
the eye, two other muscles operate to roll it upwards 
under the eyelid ; these are the oblique muscles. Ac- 
cordingly, in sleep, in fainting, in approaching death, 
when the four voluntary muscles resign their action, 
and insensibility creeps over the retina, the oblique 
muscles prevail, and the pupil is revolved, so as to 
expose only the white of the eye. It is so far consola- 
tory to reflect, that the apparent agony indicated by 
this direction of the eyes, in fainting or the approach 
at death, is the effect of encroaching insensibility — of 
tibjects impressed on the nerve of vision being no longer 
Derceived. 



96 THE EXPRESSION OF THE EYE. 

We thus see that when wrapt in devotional feelings, 
and when outward impressions are unheeded, the eyes 
aie raised by an action neither taught nor acquired. 
It is by this instinctive motion we are led to bow with 
humility — to look upwards in prayer, and to regard 
the visible heavens as the seat of God. 

" Prayer is the upward glancing of the eye, 
Wben none hut God is near." 

Although the savage does not always distinguish 
God from the heavens above him, this direction of 
the eye would appear to be the source of the universal 
belief that the Supreme Being has His throne above. 
The idolatrous Negro in praying for rice and yams, 
or that he may be active and swift, lifts up his eyes 
to the canopy of the sky.* So, in intercourse with God, 
although we are taught that our globe is ever re- 
volving : though religion inculcates that the Almighty 
is everywhere, yet, under the influence of this position 
of the eye, which is no doubt designed for a purpose, 
— we seek Him on high. " I will lift up mine eyes 
unto the hills from whence cometh my help."f 

See, then, how this property of our bodily frame 
has influenced our opinions, and belief; our conceptions 
of the Deity — our religious observances — our poetry, 
and daily habits. 

Although the geologist may think that the account 

• Bakeot : " Description of Guinea." 

t The same influence, wliich thus induces a posture of the body 
iu accommodation to the eye, makes the attitude of stooping tlio 
sign of supplication — of obeisance — and courtesy, among all 
nations. " And Araimah looked, and saw the king and bis servants 
coining on towards him ; and Araumih went out, and bowed 
himself before the king, on his face upon the ground." So, 
Abraham : " And he lift up his eyes and looked, and lo. three 
men stood by him ; and when he saw them he ran to meet them 
from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground." 

The Mahomcd^.ns, in acts of devotion, cross their hands on 
Uieir bosom and lucUno the head. 



Toye, no 







PRAYER 



THE EXPRESSION OF THE EYE. \)7 

m tno Scjiptiires of the formation of the earth, is con- 
tradicted by his theories, we perceive in our present 
investigatioK a strict agreement in man's inmost 
structure with the book of life ; and we may say with 
Kepler, that man should not resign his natural feelings 
and thoughts in pursuit of philosophy, "but that, 
lifting up his natural eyes, with which alone he can 
see, he should from his own heart pour himself out in 
worship to the Creator ; being certain that he gives no 
less worship to God than the astronomer." 

By this physical conformation, combined with our 
highest quality of mind, we are led to the expression 
of devotion. The design of man's being was, that he 
might praise and honour his Maker. Gratitude is 
the debt of our nature, and in this property of the eye 
there is pointed out, to us how that gratitude, which 
is the distinguishing character of our minds, is to be 
directed. 

The orbicularis muscle of the eyelids acts powerfully 
in certain kinds of expression. In laughing and 
crying, the outer circle of this muscle, as it contracts, 
gathei s up the skin about the eye ; and at the same 
time it compresses the eyeball. A new interest is 
given to the subject when we inquire into the object 
of that <ompression. It has a distinct relation to the 
circulation of the blood within the eye. During every 
violent act of expiration, whether in hearty laughter, 
weeping, coughing, or sneezing, the eyeball is firmly 
compressed by the fibres of the orbicularis ; and this is 
a provision for supporting and defending the vascular 
system of the interior of the eye from a retrograde 
impulse communicated to the blood in the veins at 
that time. When we contract the chest, and expel the 
air, there is a retardation of the blood in the veins of 
the neck and head ; and in the more powerful acts 
of expulsion, the blood not only distends the vessels, 

H 



98 THE EXPRESSION OF THE EYE. 

but is even regurgitated into the minute branches. 
Were the eye not properly compressed at that time, 
and a resistance given to the shock, irreparable 
injury might be inflicted on the delicate textures of 
the interior of the eye.* ICence we see a reason for the 
closed state of the eyelids, and wrinkling of the sur- 
rounding skin, and twinkling of the eye, in hearty 
laughter. 

, In the drunkard, there is a heaviness of eye, a dis- 
position to squint, and to see double, and a forcible 
elevation of the eyebrow to counteract the dropping of 
the upper eyelid, and preserve the eyes from closing. 
Hogarth has very happily caught this hanging of the 
eyelid, with the effort in the muscles of the forehead to 
prevent it from actually falling. The peculiar ex- 
pression may be thus explained. In the stupor of 
inebriation, the voluntary muscles of the eyeball resign 
their action to the oblique muscles, which, as we have 
seen, instinctively revolve the eye upwards when 
insensibility comes on : at the same time, the muscle 
which elevates the upper lid yields, in sympathy with 
the oblique muscles, to the action of the orbicularis 
which closes the eyes, and the eyelid drops. The 
condition is, in short, the same as that of falling asleep ; 
when the eyeball revolves as the lids close. It is the 
struggle of the drunkard to resist, with his half- 
conscious efforts, the rapid turning up of the eye, and 
to preserve it under the control of the voluiitarj- 
muscles, that makes him see objects distorted, and 
strive, by arching his eyebrows, to keep the upper lid 
from descending. The puzzled appearance which this 

• " If we separate the eyelids of a child, to exam-ine the eye while 
it cries and struggles with passion, by taking off the natural 
support to the vascular system of the eye, and the means of 
guarding it against the rush of blood then occurring, the con- 
junctiva becomes suddenly filled with blood, und Ihe eyelid* 
sverted." — Nereotis System, p. 175. 



OF THE MUSOLES OF THE NOSTRILS. 



99 



gives rise to, along with the relaxation of the lower 
part of the face, and the slight paralytic obliquity of the 
mouth, complete the degrading expression. 



OF THE MUSCLES OF THE NOSTRILS. 

The nostrils are features which have a powerful 
effect in expression. The breath being drawn through 
them, and their structure formed for alternate expansion 




and contraction in correspondence with the motions 
of the chest, they are an index of the condition of 
respiration, when affected by emotion. As they consist 
of cartilages moved by appropriate muscles, acting in 
strict sympathy with the drawing of the breath, they 
become expressive of animal excitement. 

We may enumerate four muscles which move the 
cartilages of the nostrils. 

Levator lahii supetioris ei alee nasi (a). — This muscle 

H 2 



100 MUSCLES OF THE LIPS AND CHEEKS. 

arises from the upper jaw-lione, and descends to the 
lip ; but a part of it stops short, to he attached to the 
moveable cartilage of the nostril ; it raises the nostiil 
along with the upper lip. 

The Depressor alee nasi (b) arises from the upper jaw- 
bone, close to the sockets of the front teeth ; it ascends 
and is inserted into the lateral cartilage of the nostril, 
and pulls down that cartilage. 

The Compressor nasi (c) arises from the cartilaginous 
oridge of the nose,* and is inserted into the lateral car- 
tilage of the nostril. The name would imply that this 
muscle compresses the membraneous part of the nose, 
which it does; but its principal action must be to 
expand the nostril, by raising the lateral cartilage. 

The next muscle is a slip of the Orhicularis oris (p), 
which, detaching itself from that mass of the muscle, 
runs up to the edge of the septum of the nose. 

Thus we see how Nature has provided for the motions 
of the nostrils. The actions of these muscles are con- 
trolled by a nerve of the class which has been dis- 
tinguished as subservient to the apparatus of breathing ; 
and it is owing to this that the sympathy is established 
between the general act of drawing the breath and 
the expansion of the nostrils. As the motions of the 
nostrils, however, are intimately connected with those 
of the lips, I shall defer making any further observations 
upon them, until the muscles of the mouth have been 
described. 



MtJSClES OF THE LIPS AND CHEEKS, 

Tne fleshy structure of the lips is in a great measure 
owing to a circular muscle which surrounds the mouth. 

• That is certainly its most fixed extremity. 



MUSCLES OF THE LIPS AND CHEEKS. 



101 



This muscle closes the lips, and is the opponent of many 
other muscles, which, taking their origin from the 
prominent points of the bones of the face, are con- 
centred towards the mouth, and, besides opening it, 
move the lips in various directions. We must look 
upon the whole of these muscles in three points of view : 
1, as belonging to mastication, turning the morsel, and 
placing it imder the action of the teeth ; 2, as part of 




the organ of speech ; and 3, as powerful agents in ex- 
pression. 

Orbicularis oris (a). — The fibres of this circular muscle 
can be traced continuously round the lips, and have 
properly no origin. We have already taken notice of 
the Levator lahii superioris et alee nasi (b), some fibres 
of which are inserted into the upper lip. 

The Levator lahii proprius (c) arises from the upper 
jaw, near the orbit. It is attached exclusively to the 
upper lip, and raises it. 

Levator anguli oris (v). — This muscle lies under the 



102 MUSCLES OP THE LIPS AND CHEEKS. 

last, and is, of course, shorter ; it raises the angle of th« 
mouth. 

The Zygomaticus (e) arises from the zygoma, a process 
of the cheekbone, which joins the temporal bone ; it is 
inserted into the angle of the mouth. 

There is sometimes an additional muscle, arising and 
inserted in a similar manner, called the zygomaticus 
minor (f). 

The Buccinator (some of the fibres of which are repre- 
sented by g) is a flat muscle, which lines the inside of the 
cheek, and, arising from the sockets of the back teeth 
of both jaw-bones, is inserted into the angle of the 
mouth. 

As the teeth of man indicate that he is omnivorous, 
and intermediate between the two great tribes of 
animals— the carnivorous and herbivorous, we expect 
the muscles also to exhibit the same middle state and to 
partake the characters of both these classes. And such 
is found to be the case. The three muscles last enu- 
merated combine to raise and retract the angle of the 
mouth, and by doing so, they expose the canine teeth. 
Now this group of muscles is especially powerful in the 
carnivorous animal ; they lift the fleshy lips off the long 
tearing fangs of the lion or tiger, and produce a fierce- 
ness of expression. But in the milder graminivorous 
animals the same class of muscles have a different 
direction given to their action, and they are not capable 
of elevating the angles of the mouth in a similar manner. 
In ourselves, when these muscles draw upon the orbicu- 
laris, and disclose the angular teeth, a painful and 
bitter expression is the effect. But before we can speak 
correctly on this subject, we must pursue the description 
of the remaining muscles. 

Of the muscles which depress the lips, there is, 

1st. The Triangularis oris, or depressor anguli oris (h), 
a comparatively powerful muscle, which arises from the 



MUSCLES OF THE LIPS AND CHEEKS. 103 

base of the lower jaw, and is inserted into the angle 
of the mouth. 

In the drawing, some muscular iibres (i) may be seen, 
which join the triangularis oris, and pass to the angle 
of the mouth. These are part of a superficial muscle 
of the neck, — the platysma-myoides : the fibres of which 
mount over the jaw to terminate on the cheek. The 
uppermost fasciculus, represented in the drawing, has 
been described by Santorini as a distinct muscle, and 
from its action in laughter, has obtained the name 
JBisorius Santorini. 

The Qnadratus menti (k), a small square muscle, 
situated on the chin, depresses the lower lip. 

The Levator menti (l) is a small muscle, which arises 
from the lower jaw, near the sockets of the front teeth, 
and passes to be inserted into the centre of the integu- 
ment of the cliin. When both muscles act, they throw 
up the chin, and project the lower lip. 

The angle of the mouth is full of expression ; and 
much is implied, according to the prevailing action of 
the superior or inferior class of muscles. The triangu- 
laris oris and the levator menti combine to produce a 
kind of expression which is peculiar to man. The 
angle of the mouth is drawn down by the former, 
while the lower lip is arched and elevated, with a con- 
temptuous effect, by the latter; whence the levator 
menti has sometimes been called superhus. The union 
of so many muscles at the angle of the lips produces 
that fulness about the mouth remarkable in those who 
are both thin and muscular. In the child, or youth, 
whose face is plump, they make the dimple in the cheek. 
It is perceived that the orbicularis is the opponent of 
all the muscles which are concentred from various 
points to the lips ; and it is by the successive action 
and relaxation of these antagonising muscles that so 
much and so varied expiession is given to the mouth. 



104 MUSCLES OP THE UPS AND CHEEKS. 

This circular muscle ifi affected in various emotions ; it 
tremblingly yields to the superior force of its counter- 
acting muscles, both in joy and grief: it relaxes 
pleasantly in smiling ; it is drawn more powerfully by 
its opponent muscles in weeping. 

We can have no better illustration of how much 
depends on the function exercised by the mouth, for the 
particular character impressed on the lower part of 
the face, when the lips are in motion, than by watch- 
ing the features of a preacher or advocate engaged in 
his vocation, and afterwards, if opportunity offers, look- 
ing at the play of the same jaws and lips, when over 
a trencher. The whole machinery from the temple down- 
wards, and from the angle of the jaw to the chin, is in 
operation during mastication ; whereas, in the most im- 
passioned discourse, the action is concentrated to the lips. 

In speaking, there is much motion of the lower Hp, 
and, consequently, activity in those muscles which form 
the fulness' of the chin : yet a remai'kable variety is 
produced in the lines which mark the features about 
the upper lip, by the play of the different muscles which 
3onverge to the mouth from the margins of the orbits. 
But this subject has further interest. 

The organization necessary to speech, the great in- 
strument of human thought, is widely dispersed : that 
is, for the utterance of sound there must conform, a 
motion of the lungs or chest, an adjustment of the 
larynx and pharynx, and a fine modulation of the lips. 
It is more directly from the motions of the tongue and 
lips that articulate sounds proceed ; and the connexion 
of the numerous muscles brought into operation in these 
actions, is congenital with the awakening intellect. 
Long before a child is taught to speak, we may see an 
imperfect agitation of the lips and cheeks ; and sounds 
are uttered which wait only for the effort of imitation 
to become language. 



OF THE BEARD. 103 

These remarks bear out our former statement, tliat 
beauty in the lips and lower part of the countenance 
of a well-formed face, has relation to the perfection 
of the structure viewed in connexion with speech, and 
in contrast with the apparatus for mastication. The 
possession of an instrument of speech is instinctively 
associated in our thoughts with the most exalted en- 
dowments of man, moral and intellectual. 



OF THE BEARD. 

" Vidi presso di me im veglio solo, 
Degna di taula riverenza in vista, 
Che jiiu iiou dee a jjadre aloun figliolo. 
Limga la barba e di pt-l bianoa mista, 
1 'onava a' suoi capegli simigliante 
De' quai oadeva al petto doppia lista." 

Dante. 

The stages of man's life are outwardly characterised. 
An opinion prevails, that the form and lineaments of 
old age are a consequence of the deterioration of the 
material of our frame; and that the resemblance so 
often drawn between an aged man leaning on his staff, 
and a ruin tottering to its fall, is a perfect one. It 
is not so ; the material of the frame is ever the same : 
years affect it not ; but infancy, youth, maturity, and 
old age, have their appropriate outward characters. 
Why should the forehead be bald, and the beard lux- 
uriant, if not to mark the latest epoch of man's life ? 
or what reason can be given for the hair not growing 
on the chin during the vascular fulness of youth, but 
that it would be inconsistent with the oharacters ol 
that time of life to be provided with a beaid ? 

When these Essays were first written^ there was not 



l06 OF THE BEAED, 

a beard to be seen in England, unless joined with 
squalor and neglect : and I had the conviction that this 
appendage concealed the finest features. Being in Eome, 
however, during the procession of the Corpus Domini, I 
saw that the expression was not injured by the beard ; 
but that it added to the dignity and character of years. 
It was evident that the fine heads by the old masters 
were copies of what were then seen in nature, though 
now but rarely. There were beards which nearly 
equalled that of the " Moses '' of Michael Angelo in 
length, and which flowed like those in the paintings of 
Domenichino and Gorreggio.* 

The beard is characteristic of nations. In the East, 
it is honoured ; and to be shaved, is the mark of a 
slave.f A heard of three hands' breadth is a goodly 
show ; but to exceed that, requires a life of repose : 
violent exercise in the field shortens the beard. The 
Turks have a very poor beard. The Persians have 
noble beards, and are proud of the distinction. The 
beard of Futteh Ali Shah, the late king of Persia, 
reached below his girdle, was full and fine, and remark- 
able in a nation of beards, for having no division in 
the middle. Such a beard, during the active period of 
life, shews finely on horseback; being tossed over the 
shoulders in the wind, and indicating speed. In the 
natural beard, the hair has a peculiarity depending on 
the place from which it grows. The hair of the upper 

* " In the procession of the Corpus Domini, the Pope is attended 
by bishops from all parts of Christendom : from Mount Lebanon 
and the East, as well as from Roman Catholic Ireland. These dig- 
nitaries, with tlie cardinals, the superiors of convents, (he friars of 
various orders, aud the cavalcade of the guarda nobile, form a 
pageant far beyond what royally can attain, or can anywliere else 
bo witnessed, whether we consider the pice and accompauiments, 
or the actors and their costumes. Then it was, that ag^', with bald 
head, and flowing beard, and appropriate robes, surpassed youth and 
beauty, with all the trappings of the cavalier." — Note from JowruiX. 

t 2 Samuel x. i. 



OF THE BEARD. 107 

lip is more profuse, and even in tlie oldest man is of a 
darker hue, than that of the under lip ; so that falling 
on the lower part, it can still be distinguished as it 
mixes with the purer white. Again, the hair descend- 
ing from the sides of the face attains a greater length 
than that which comes from the chin ; and this is more 
especially the character of age. 

In the French regiments they set frightful fellows, 
with axes over their shoulders, to march in front : on. 
their heads is a black bear-skin cap, of the form and 
dimensions of a drum, and they select men with beards 
of the same hue, which grow in a bush, the counterpart 
of that on their heads. But the face, as seen between 
the two black masses, is more ludicrous than terrible, 
and has an effect very different from what is intended. 
A common fellow's beard, like a common fellow's 
countenance, is coarse. 

Even in the Franciscan and Capuchin monks, the 
beard has not always the fine character displayed in the 
works of the old painters. Their models are gone with 
their times. Something excessive and ideal may be 
represented by the beard. Michael Angelo has, perhaps, 
followed Scripture, in the beard of his " Moses," which 
floats below the girdle ; and in the fresco of Jeremiah, 
in the Sistine Chapel. The finest painting of the beard 
that I have seen, is by Correggio, in the Scala of the 
Albergo dei Poveri, in Genoa, — a fresco of the Saviour, 
in the arms of the Almighty, where the beard of the 
Father flows beautifully. In short, the beard may be- 
come, with knowledge and taste, the most characteristic 
part in a figure.* 

* " Our northern artists are unfavourably situated, not owing to, 
the direct influence of cold, as Winckelman imagined, but an indirect 
cause, hi historical painting, they draw from copies of nature, and 
paint beards as they do the naked figure, without seeing it, or being 
fiimiliar with the form and colour of the one or the other. But in 
Rome also they make mistakes. I found the artists supporting a 



108 OP THE BEABD. 

Expression in the Lips and Moustaches. Things 
familiar do not always give rise to their natural 
association. I was led to attend more particularly to 
the moustaches as a feature of expression, in meeting 
a handsome young French soldier, coming up a long 
ascent in the C6te-d'0r, and breathing hard, although 
with a good-humoured, innocent expression. His 
sharp-pointed black moustachcB rose and fell with a 
catamountain look that set me to think on the cause. 

Every one must have observed, how the nostrils play 
in hard breathing.* We have seen that there is a 
muscle which is the principal agent in this action ; and 
it may be felt swelling during inspiration, when the 
finger is pressed on the upper lip, just under the nostril. 
It is the depressor aloe nasi. The action of this muscle, 
under the roots of the hairs on the lip, sensibly moves 
them ; and as all passionate excitements influence the 
respiratory actions, the nostrils and moustaches neces- 
sarily participate in the movement in violent passions. 
Thus, although the hair of the upper lip does conceal 
the finer modulations of the mouth, as in woman, 
it adds to the character of the stronger and harsher 
emotions. 

I continued to think of this in descending the Ehone 
in company with some French officers ; they were 



fellow, wliose besj-d was their model. The hair of tlie head, and 
the beard of this man, had gr. iwn to an exti-aordinary length, show- 
ing what an uncouth mass It may become. He had been painted 
so often as the Father of the gods, that in his craze he had believed 
himself to be no less. I said, if they would plunge him in the 
Tiber, and study him as he rose, he might pass for a river god. 
No ; the beard is a mere mass of hair, but admits of much cliaracter." 
— Note from Journal. 

* Pliysioguomiats miike a wide nostril the sign of a fiery dis- 
position. It may be expressive of passion, without being tlie cause. 
The idea of its being the seat of passion, is undoubtedly taken from 
animal expression. •■ There went u tmolie out of His nostrils," if 
hardly descriptivu of human excitement. 



OF THE BEARD. 109 

meiry ■nitii wine, and I saw their moustacheB, black, 
red, and white, animated in their songs and laughter ; 
and although with a farouche character, these appen- 
dages rather added to, than concealed expression. We 
see the pictorial effect in the hilarity of the Dutch boor. 

The lower lip moves more than the upper. V\ ith 
this, too, we are so familiar as not to be sensible of 
it ; but if we try the experiment of looking on the face 
of a friend, in a reversed position, we shall be convinced 
that it is so. The expression of speaking results very 
much from the modulation of the lower lip; and the 
rising and falling of the jaw, which takes place at the 
same time, and more especially in singing, adds to 
the motion. Passion, however, is expressed more in the 
upper lip. 

In compassionating a fellow-creature, it is not natural 
to look on the face reversed. Yet 1 have seen in a 
modem picture, a soldier regarding his wounded 
comrade, dessus dessous, the mouth to the forehead, the 
eye to the mouth. The immediate effect was a want 
of sympathy, — of proper feeling. Even the nurse turns 
her head in correspondence with the face of the infant. 
Is the same not meant by the Psalmist, " My heart said 
unto thee, Let my face seek thy face f " This was in my 
mind in looking on a picture of the Saviour, dead, 
lying on the knees of the Madonna ; she turns her 
bead, bringing her face nearly parallel with that of tho 
Eedeemer ; which produces infinite grace and tender- 
ness.* 

The drawing of the head of a man, thrown to the 
ground, being to our eye reversed, has not the same 
effect as when represented upright. Certain features 
must be exaggerated. That is, if the painter were to 
draw the face accurately, and then turn the picture 
the contrary way, the. head downwards, it would have 
• In the Gallciy of the Accademia delle Belle 4 rte, Bologna. 



110 OP THE BEARD 

no force. This arises from the reversed features Tseing 
deficient in the accustomed harmony, and from the 
altered relation of the upper and lower lips. 
Michael Angelo, with his other excellencies, was 
a master of exjwession. There is a Pieta by him in 
alto-relievo,* which gives proof of this. The piece of 
marble does not exceed three feet ; and nothing but 
expression could have given to it its celebrity. 

I was never more sensible of the action of the lower 
lip, as expressive of speech, than in looking on a picture 
by that very extraordinary painter, Zurbaran. It re- 
presents St. Francis. He is kneeling, his hands 
locked together energetically, his ej'es raised, and his 
lower lip has the expression of moving in prayer.f 

Among the many advantages which the artist has in 
the southern countries of Europe, the service of the 
Eoman Catholic Church affords him the chief. At all 
reasons, as well as during the service of the altar, 
there are in the cathedrals and churches groups and 
single figures ; the lady in rich attire, not more 
picturesque than the country girl ; the beggar, and the 
monk, on their knees, muttering their prayers. In the 
family pew of the Reformed Church there may be as 
holy a frame of mind, but never the expression of 
those rapt and solitary figures, whom we see prostrate 
on the bare stones in the solemn light of these churches. 
But my object was to advert to their inaudible mut- 
terings, in which the amount of expression capable 
of being thrown into the lips during speech may be 

• In the Albergo dei Poveri, in Genoa. "A Pieti is the repre- 
sentation of Christ resting on the lap of the mother. The eyes of 
the mother are shut, the mouth not open, but in the lips a form that 
implies she is about to kiss the cheek. The angles of the mouth 
are in the slightest degree depressed, and the lips must open when 
next she draws breath.' — Note from Journal.' 

t The picture is in the Spanish School of the Mi^soo Bovale of 
the Louyre, 



OF THE BEAET>. Ill 

well observed. Nor can a stranger go from the church 
to the picture-galleries, and mistake for a moment 
where the great painters found their studies, where the y 
gained those conceptions of devotion, of enthusiasm 
and abandonment, which we see in the portraits of 
their saints and martyrs.* 

♦ " St. Siro, Genoa. It is a new thing to see those beggars 
crawling on the stairs. There is one who, lying on his belly, 
drags himself along with a short stick ; the precise figure that is 
in tlie cartoons of Raphael. They are sqnalid, distorted, and 
strange. One fellow among them I should have in my sketch-book. 
He is on his knees, and, whilst receiving a soldo from a very 
poor and very old woman, counts his beads, and crosses himself 
with an indiiSferenee that hardly can be real. In entering a 
church in health, and the enjoyment of life, to step through amongst 
the ' poveri ' is no bad preparation. It is impossible to witness the 
countryman, whose coarse dress marks the lowness of his condition, 
— to see hira apart, in an obscure ainle, cast down, and in prayer, 
with such perfect abstraction and abandonment, without the 
wor<ls of the publidin being suggested, ' God be merciful to me 
a sinner.' In this respect, amidst all the blazon and shew of 
worship which belong to the Roman Catholic, it is still the oljuroh 
of the poor. There is no re-^pect for rank or condition within the 
precincts of a place of worship." — Note from Journal. 



( 112 ) 



ESSAY V. 

C? THE EXPRESSION OF PASSION, A3 ILLCSTKATED BT A COM- 
PARISON OF THE MUSCLES OF THE FACE IN MAN AND IH 
ANIMALS; AND OF THE MUSCLES PECULIAR TO MAN, AND 
THEIR EFFECTS IN BESTOWING HUMAN EXPRESSION. 

The violent passions are exhibited so distinctly in the 
countenance of toth man and animals, that we are led 
to consider the movements by which they are made 
obvious, as characteristic signs provided by nature for 
the express purpose of intimating the inward emotions : 
that they may be interpreted by a peculiar and in- 
tuitive faculty in the observer. 

This view, however, so natural at first, is not alto- 
gether satisfactory ; and an opposite theory has been 
proposed, in which such special provision is^denied, 
and the appearances are accounted for, as the effect of 
certain actions which are performed in obedience to the 
common laws of the animal economy. It is also said, 
that we are taught by experience alone to distinguish 
the signs of the passion in man : that in infancy we 
learn that smiles are expressive of kindness, because ac- 
companied by endearments, and that frowns are the 
reverse, because they are followed by blows. The expres- 
sion of anger in a brute is alleged to be merely the cast 
of features which precedes his biting ; and the character 
of fondness, that which is seen in his fawning and 
licking of the hand. In short, it has been maintained 
that what are called the external signs of passion, are only 
the concomitants of those voluntary movements which 
the structure renders necessary, Thaf, for example, the 
glare of the lion's eye proceeds from his effort to see 
his prey more clearly ; tmd his gri;i or snarl from tha 



OF EXPRESSION IN ANIMALS. llS 

natural act of iirRheathing his faugH before using 
them. 

But, if we attend to the evidence of anatomical 
investigation, we shall perceive a remarkable difference 
between the provision for giving motion to the features 
in animals, and that for bestowing expression in man. 
In the lower creatures, there is no expression, but what 
may be referred, more or less plainly, to their acts of 
volition, or necessary instincts ; whUe in man there 
seems to be a special apparatus, for the purpose of 
enabling him to communicate with his fellow-creatures, 
by that natural language, which is read in the changes 
of his countenance. There exist in his face, not only 
all those parts, which by their action produce expres- 
sion in the several classes of quadrupeds, but there is 
added a peculiar set of muscles to which no other ofSce 
can be assigned than to serve for expression. 



OF EXPRESSION IN ANIMALS. 



In brutes the most marked expression is that of rage ; 
the object of which is opposition, resistance, and defence. 
But on examination it will be found that the force of 
the expression is in proportion to the strength of the 
principal action in the creature when thus excited. 

The graminivorous animals, which seek their subsis- 
tence, not by preying upon others, or by the ferocity, 
contest, and victory, which supply the carnivorous with 
food, have in their features no strong expression of rage ; 
it is chiefly confined to the effect produced on the general 
system. Thus the inflamed eye and the breathing 
nostrils of the bull are induced by the excitement of 
the whole frame ; his only proper expression of rage is 
in the position of the head, with the horus turned 
obliquely to the ground, ready to strike ; and indeed it 

I 



114 OF EXPRESSION IN ANIMALS. 

may be observed, that animals whioli strike with the 
horns shew little indication either of fear or rage, except 
in the position of the head ; for the breath ejected from 
the expanded nostril is the effect of mere exertion, and 
may belong to different conditions of the frame. In all 
graminivorous animals, the skin of the head is closely 
attached to the skull, and capable of very limited 
motion : the eye is almost uniformly mild, and the lipa 
are unmoved by passion. 

It is in the carnivorous animals, with whose habits 
and manner of life ferocity is instinctively connected, 
as suited to their mode of subsistence, that rage is dis- 
tinguished by remarkable strength of expression. The 
eyeball is terrible, and the retraction of the flesh of the 
lips indicates the most savage fury. The action of the 
respiratory organs, the heaving and agony of breathing, 
the deep and harsh motion of the air drawn through 
the throat in the growl, declare the universal excite- 
ment of the animal. It is wrong to imagine" that all 
this is a mere preparatory exposure of the canine teeth. 
Brutes may have expression, properly so called, as well 
as man, though in a more limited degree ; but in them, 
expression is so moulded to their natures and their 
necessities, that it seems accessory to their needful and 
voluntary actions. 

The horse is universally held to be a noble animal, 
as he possesses the expression of courage, without the 
ferociousness of the beast of prey ; and as there is a 
consent between the motions of the ear and the eye, 
which resembles the exertion of mind, and the move- 
ments of the human countenance. But even this ex- 
pression is the result of an incidental consent of animal 
motions; and no more proves intelligence, than the 
diminutive eye and the unexpressive face of the elephant 
denote the contrary. We admire it, because there is an 
much animation as in the tiger, without the ferocity. 



OP EXPRESSION IN ANIMAIS. 115 

Tlie consent of motions between the eye and the ear of 
• the horse is a physical consequence of the necessities of 
the animal. His defence lies in the hind feet, and there 
is an arrangement both in the muscles, and in the form 
of the skull, for that retroverted direction of the eye, 
which seems so expressive in the horse, but which merely 
serves to guide the blow. The inflation of the nostrils, 
and the fleshiness of the lips, belong to the peculiar 
provision for his respiration and mode of feeding. 

The head of a lion is taken to shew the muscular 
apparatus of a carnivorous animal. 

A A. The circular fibres, which surround the eyelids, 
and which are common to all animals. 
.' BCD. Accessory muscles, which draw back the eyelids 
from the eyeball, and give a sparkling fierceness- to the 
oye'. 

Artists bestow^ an expression on the eye of the lion 
which they suppose gives dignity — a kind of knitting 
of the eyebrows, whilst the eyelids are straining wide. 
ITiis is quite incompatible with the powers of expression 
in brutes. When the lion closes his eyes in repose, 
the fleshiness about the eyelids and the hair of the 
skin produce the effect of a morose human expression-, 
but when he is excited and the eye is fixed, there is no 
such character. 

E F. The mass of muscular fibres, with those concealed 
under them, is very strong in this class of animals. 
They raise and expose the teeth, with the savage 
expression peculiar to the carnivora. 

G. The muscles which move the nostril in smelling. 

H. A muscle which answers to the zygomaiicus in man 
and which must have great power in this animal, as it 
reaches from the ear to the angle of the mouth. It 
opens the mouth, retracts the lips, and disengages them 
from the teeth, as in seizing their prey. 

12 



116 



OF EXPEESSION IN ANIMALS. 



I. The buccinator muscle. 

K. Insertion of part of the masseter muscle, one oi 
the powerful muscles that close the jaws. 

I observed above, that some painters have thought 
it allowable to give human expression to the heads 
of lions, and others have presented it in their heads of 
horses. I think this is done on a mistaken view, and 




that it will never enhance the peculiar beauty of any 
animal to engraft upon it some part of human ex- 
pression. Eubens, in his picture of Daniel in the lions' 
den, has given this character to the heads of the lions. 
It is more than doubtful whether it be in the true 
spirit of that principle of association which should 
govern the adaptation of expression and character in 




HORSE'S Head 

(OwUo Romano ) 



OF EXPRESSION IN ANIMALS. 117 

producing an ideal form, thus to mingle human ex- 
pression with the features of the savage animals. It 
seem<<, however, that a distinction is to be made when 
the lion is represented in its natural state and when 
sculptured emblematically. Eepresented in his den, or 
in the forest, the picture should possess all the natural 
character ; when couched amidst the insignia of empire, 
there may be a difference. 

A horse's head is added in illustration ; it is taken 
from Giulio Eomano. The painter has here produced 
an ideal head : we say that it is a horse rather on 
account of the bridle in the mouth than because we 
recognise the natural character of that animal. Instead 
of the full clear eye standing prominent upon the 
temple, there is an eye sunk deep, with an overhanging 
eyebrow; the character entirely human, and the ex- 
pression thoughtful and suspicious. In the hair of the 
forehead, and in the ears, in the roundness of the head 
and neck, the artist has preferred the model of the 
antique to what, in this instance, we must consider to 
be the finer forms of nature. Here are the nostrils of 
the horse, but they want expansion ; and there are 
thick and fleshy lips, with an open mouth, which no 
power of association can ever teach us to admire. 

There is a spirit in the expanded nostril, a fire in 
the eye, a kind of intelligence in the horse's head taken 
altogether ; there is a beauty in the form of the neck, 
and an ease and grandeur in the carriage of the head, 
where strength and freedom are combined, which can- 
not be excelled by the substitution of an ideal form. 
No doubt the painter in this instance wished to avoid 
that commonness of form, which represses sentiment 
in the beholder, and destroys the poetical effect of a 
picture; but it is attempted at the expense of truth 
of character. In the utmost excitement, animals of 
this class do not open the mouth; they canuot 



J18 OF EXPEESSION IN ANIMALS: 

breathe through the mouth, — a valve in the throat 
prevents it, — so that animation is exhibited only in the 
nostril and the eye. The open mouth is from the 
checking of the bit between the teeth, and is never 
seen when the horse is untrammelled and free. 

Such were the the opinions delivered in the first 
edition of this work, and they were drawn from obser- 
vation of nature, on which I always rest with absolute 
reliance. Since that time, the Elgin collection of sculp- 
tures has arrived. These remains of antiquity are of 
great value to the arts of this country, as they ob* 
viously tend to turn the artist's attention to nature, 
and exhibit to him the consistency of natural form 
and beauty. The horses' heads in that collection are 
perfectly natural, and if there be exaggeration, it is 
only in the stronger marking of that which is the 
characteristic distinction of the animal. 

The next drawing represents the muscles of the 
horse's head. 

A A. The orbicular muscle of the eyelids. 

B. An accessory muscle to raise the eyelid. 

c. A very peculiar muscle. It pulls down the eyelid. 

D. A muscle connected also with the eye and arising 
from the cartilages of the ear. 

E. Amusole answering to the zygomatic muscle in man. 
These muscles, surrounding the eyelids of the horse, 

account for the superior expression of the eye. The 
nmscle d seems calculated to operate upon the outer 
angle of the eyelids, and to enable the animal to direct 
the eye backwards ; in this it is probably assisted by 
the muscle e. 

F. This forms a class of muscles which descend on 
the side of the face, and are inserted into the nostril. 

GQ. Muscular fibres, also operating in the distension 
cf the tube of the nostril. 




HORSE'S HEAD 



OF EXPEESSION IN ANIMALS. 119 

H. A strong muscle, wliioli acts tipoii tlie cartilage 
*ud distends tlie nostril with great power. 

There is something in the distribution of these 
muscles which illustrates the character of the class, 
and accounts for the peculiarity of expression. We 
cannot fail to observe the difference in the general 
direction and classing of the muscles of the face in the 
horse and in the lion. In the carnivorous animal, 
they all tend to lift the lips from the canine teeth, 
so that they cannot act without shewing the teeth, 
with a snarling expression ; in the graminivorous 
animal, on the contrary, muscles, having the same 
place and origin, pass to the cartilages of the nose and 
inflate it the instant they are excited. It is these 
muscles, therefore, more than any thing else, which 
produce the very different character and expression in 
the two classes of animals. 

1 1. A strong muscle, which lies under that of the 
nostril f. Its tendon passes forward over the nose, 
and unites with its fellow of the other side. These 
together form a broad tendon k, which is inserted 
into the upper lip. There is a similar muscle moving 
the lower lip, which cannot be seen in this view. 

L M. The circular fibres of the lips, which in the 
horse are particularly strong and fleshy. 

N. A web of muscle, which is extended from the 
cutaneous muscle of the neck. 

The last-named muscles have all great power, and give 
extensive motion to the lips. They take a course over the 
nose in a manner quite peculiar to this class of animals, 
to raise and project the upper lip, as in gathering food. 
Any one who feeds his horse from his hand may feel 
the singular sensitiveness and mobility of his lips. 

Looking to these muscles, and contrasting them -with 
the animated sketch by Mr. Northcote, we cannot fail 
to see how much the form of the head depends upon the 



120 OF THE MrsCLES OF ANIMALS. 

teeth ■being small in front, and large and deep-set at 
the back part of the jaw ; how much the peculiarity of 
expression in the animal is owing to its breathing 
through the nostril, and not through the mouth, and to 
its brilliant eye being placed on the utmost projection 
of the head, so that, by the slightest turn of the pliant 
neck, it may be directed backward. Finally, we perceive 
how the muscles are adapted to draw back the eyelids, 
to expand the nostrils, and project the lips from the 
incisor teeth, and also to place the food under the opera- 
tion of the grinding teeth. 



OF THE MUSCLES OF ANIMALS COMPARED WITH THOSE 
OF MAN. 

Eeferring to the remarkable difference between the 
range of expression in man and in animals, and con- 
sidering that in brutes it proceeds from necessity or 
voluntary action, while in man there is a special provi- 
sion for bestowing it, — a peculiar set of muscles to 
which no other office can be assigned, it is proper to 
reduce the muscles of several quadrupeds into classes, 
that we may distinguish the characteristics of mere 
animal expression from those in man. 

They may be distinguished as, Ist. Those which raise 
the lips from the teeth ; 2d. Those which surround the 
eyelids ; and 3d. Those which move the nostrils. 

1. The first of these classes, viz. the muscles which raise 
the lips from the teeth, admit of a subdivision. In the 
carnivorous animals the muscles of the lips are so 
directed as to raise the lip from the canine teeth. In 
the graminivorous they are. directed so as to raise the 
lips from the incisor teeth. The former I would dis- 
tinguish by the name ringentes, snarling muscles : the 
latter by the name de^aacerUes, muscles simply for feeding. 



Fage. 120 




HORSE'S HEAD 
( Jtonivcote J 



OP THE MUSCLES OP AKIMALS. 121 

The snarling muscles arise from llie margin of tlie 
orbit, and from the upper jaw ; theji^ are inserted into 
that part of the upper lip from which the moustaches 
grow, and which is opposite to the canine teeth. Their 
sole office is to raise the upper lip from the canine teeth ; 
and although they are assisted in this by others (the 
masticating muscles), I have ventured to distinguish 
them particularly as the muscles of snarling. This 
action of snarling is quite peculiar to the ferocious and 
carnivorous animals. The graminivorous are incapable 
of it, and consequently these muscles are to be found 
largely developed only in the former class, not in the 
latter. ■ In the carnivorous animals it can scarcely be 
said that there is a perfect or regular orbicular muscle, 
as in man, for contracting the lips ; the lips hang loose 
and relaxed, unless when drawn aside by the snarling 
muscles, and they fall back into this state of relaxation, 
with the remission of the action of these m.uscles. 

The chief muscles of the lips, which in carnivoroua 
animals are directed to the side of the mouth, are, 
in graminivorous animals, directed to the middle of 
the lip over the front teeth. I call them depascentes, 
from their use, which is to enable the creature to open 
its lips so as to gather food, and to bite the grass. They 
are long muscles ; one set come down upon each side of 
the face, and joining in a broad tendon, pass over the 
nose to be inserted into the upper lip. Another set 
run along the lower jaw, to be inserted by a peculiar 
feathered tendon into the under lip. These muscles 
are very strong in the horse. They give a peculiar and 
characteristic expression to the stallion, when he snuffs 
the breeze, with his head high in air ; when he bites, the 
expression is entirely different from that of the carniv- 
orous animal ; instead of exposing the teeth correspond- 
ing with the canine, he lifts the lips from the fora 
teeth, and protrudes them. The carnivorous animals 



122 OF THE MUSCLES OP ANIMALS. 

have not these muscles of the fore part of the lip ; in 
them, the lips covering the incisor teeth are not fleshj 
like those of the graminivorous animals, but are tied 
down to the gums, and the fore teeth are exposed only 
in consequence of the straining occasioned by retraction 
of the side of the mouth. 

Although the graminivorous animals do not possess 
those muscles which so powerfully retract the lips in 
the carnivorous class, they have a more perfect orbicular 
muscle surrounding the mouth, and regulating the 
motion of their fleshy lips. 

5. Muscles which surround the eyelid. — In man, the 
upper eyelid is raised by a muscle coming from the 
back of the orbit. But animals of prey, in whose 
eyes there is the peculiar and ferocious splendour, which 
distinguishes the tiger or the lion, have, in addition to 
this muscle, three others attached to the eyelids, which, 
stretching the coats and drawing the eyelids backward 
upon the prominent eyeball, produce a fixed straining 
of the eye, and a greater brightness. These muscles I 
have termed scintillantes, because by retracting the 
eyelids, they expose the brilliant white of the eye, 
which reflects a sparkling light. In the sheep, besides . 
the proper muscle coming from the bottom of the orbit, 
there is only a web of fibres to assist in raising the 
eyelid. In the horse, there is a muscle to pull down 
the lower eyelid ; and another, which, passing from the 
ear to the outer angle of the eyelid, retracts it, and 
enables the animal to direct the pupil backward, where 
his defence lies. In the feline tribe light is reflected 
from the bottom of the eye, when the pupil is dilated ; 
and as the pupil dilates in obscure light, there is a 
brilliant reflection from the cat's eye, which we 
mistake for indication of passion. All these may be 
partially displayed in the human eye, as in the blood- 
Bhot redness combined with the circle of reflected light 



OF THE MUSCLES OF AMMALS. i23 

from the margin, of the corner, like a flame or angry 
Bpark, as Charon is descrijjed by Dante, — 

" Ch' intorno agli occhi avea di fiamme mote," 

or as lighted charcoal, from the bottom of the eye, — 

" Caron demonio con occhi di bragia." 

It is in this way that a touch of true expression will 
illustrate a whole passage ; so Milton, 

" With head tiplift ahove the wave, and eyes 
That sparkling blazed."* 

3, Muscles of the Nostrils. — These are not less distinct 
and peculiar, in different classes of animals, than the 
muscles of the eye and lips. In the carnivorous animals,' 
the nose is comparatively insignificant, provision being 
made in the open mouth for any occasional increase 
of respiration above the uniform play of the lungs ; 
while in the inoffensive animals, which are the prey of 
the more ferocious, the inflation of the nostril is provided 
for by the action of another set of muscles. 

For example, in the horse, " the glory of whose nostrils 
is terrible," the muscles which inflate the nostril are 
very peculiar. They arise like the ringentes ; but instead 
of being fixed into the lips, as in carnivorous animals, 
whose lips are to be raised from the canine teeth, they 
pass to the nostrils, and in combination with some lesser 
muscles, powerfully inflate them when the animal is 
pushed to his speed, excited by fear, or inflamed to rage. 

In the gallery of Florence, there is the head of a horse 
in bronze, and antique ; it is very fine, and in all respects 
as natural as those of the Elgin Marbles; the mouth 
is open, but there is a bit in it. 

Over the fountain, in the Piazza of the Grand Duke, 
is placed a group of Neptune, drawn by four horses; 

• So also Spenser, B. vi. cant. 7, stanza 42. 



124 OF THE MUSCLES OF ANIMALS. 

the mouths of all the horses are open, and as they are 
free agents, without bit or harness, they seem to be 
of one muid, and to be expressing the same thing, what- 
ever that may be. They would have been much finer, 
had the artist given them animation through the eyo 
and nostril, without opening the mouth.* 

The horse's mouth is never seen open when the animal 
is free. Nothing can be finer than the action of a charger 
in the field : but though he should snort and neigh and 
throw up his head and mane, with all his excitement 
he does not open his mouth. In the antiquities of 
Count Caylus, the horse's head is represented naturally. 

We may notice here, that most of the carnivorous 
animals hunt their prey. For this object, they not 
only require a peculiar and extended organ of smelling, 
but the air must be drawn forcibly over the surface on 
which the olfactory nerve is spread. It appears to 
me that this accounts for their small confined nostril, and 
their breathing freely through the mouth. In smelling, 
an action of the nostrils takes place which directs the 
stream of air upwards into the cells of the nose, where 
the olfactory nerve is distributed. This is especially 
the case in the conformation of the dog's nostrils. 

Eetuming now to the muscles in the human counte- 
nance, we perceive that, although the motions of the 
lips and nostrils in man may not be so extensive as in 
other classes of animals, there is in his face a capacity for 
all the varieties of expression which distinguish these 
creatures. He stands, as we have said, between the 
carnivorous and graminivorous animals ; or, rather, he 
partakes the nature of both. He has the snarling 
muscles which so peculiarly distinguish the carnivorous 
class, while he is able to protrude the lips, and uncover 

* " Milan. The four horses in the triumphal arch have their 
mouths gaping wide ; not bo the coursera last night in the Circus " 
— Note from Journal. 



OF THE MUSOI-ES OF ANIMALS. 125 

the teeth, like the graminiTorous. We have seen that 
in the carnivorous animals, the muscles descending from 
the cheek-bones and upper jaw to raise the lip are strong, 
and that the orbicular or circular fibres of the mouth 
are feeble, the lip being attached to the forepart of the 
gums. In the graminivorous animals, on the contrary, 
the orbicular muscle has great power ; while the elevat- 
ing and depressing muscles of the side of the mouth are 
weak. But in man, both classes of muscles are combined ; 
vhe elevating and depressing muscles are fully developed, 
while the orbicular muscle completely antagonises them, 
modulating and qualifying their actions, and bestowing 
the utmost perfection on the motions of the lips. 

"Whether we look to the form of the features or to 
their power of expression, the consideration of these two 
classes of muscles alone will account for certain varieties 
in the human face. In one man, the excitement of 
passion may be indicated chiefly by the prevalence of 
one class, while in a second, another class will pre- 
dominate in the expression. 

If it be allowable to give examples, I would say that 
in the countenance of Mrs. Siddons, or Mr. John 
Kemble, there was presented the highest character of 
beauty which belongs to the true English face. In that 
family the upper lip and nostrils were very expressive : 
the class of muscles which operate on the nostrils was 
especially powerful, and both these great tragedians had 
a remarkable capacity for the expression of the nobler 
passions. In their oast of features there was never seen 
that blood-thirsty look which Cooke could throw into 
his face. In him, the ringentes prevailed : and what 
determined hate could he express, when, combined with 
the oblique cast of his eyes, he drew up the outer part 
of the upper lip, and disclosed a sharp angiilar tooth ! 
And is it not this lateral drawing of the lips, and 
stretching them upon the closed teeth, which mak^ 



126 OF THE MUSCLES OF ANIMALS. 

the blood start from them, in remorseless hate and 
rancour ? 

But besides the muscles analogous to those of brutes, 
others are introduced into the human face, which indi- 
cate emotions and sympathies of which the lower animals 
qi.re not susceptible ; and as they are peculiar to man, 
they may be considered as the index of mental energy, 
in opposition to mere animal expression. 

The most moveable and expressive features are the 
inner extremity of the eyebrow and the angle of the 
mouth ; and these are precisely the parts which have 
least expression in brutes ; for they have no eyebrows, 
and no power of elevating or depressing the angle of the 
mouth. It is therefore in these features that we should 
expect to find the muscles of expression peculiar to man. 

The most remarkable muscle of the human face ia 
the corrugator supercilii (d, fig. p. 92), arising from the 
frontal bone, near its union with the nasal bones, and 
inserted into the skin of the eyebrow ; it knits the eye- 
brows with an energetic effect, which unaccountably, 
but irresistibly, conveys the idea of mind. 

The frontal portion of the occipito-frontalis muscle (a, 
fig. p. 92), is the antagonist of the orbicular muscle of the 
eyelids. It is wanting in the animals which we have 
examined ; and in its stead, fibres, more or less strong, 
are found to be inserted directly into the eyelids. 

The motion of the features which, next to that pro- 
duced by the corrugator supercilii, is most expressive of 
human passion and sentiment, is to be seen in the angle 
of the mouth. At one time I conceived that this dis- 
tinctive expression was chiefly owing to the superbus 
(l, fig. p. 101), which elevates and protrudes the under 
lip, but I was deceived. The character of human ex- 
pression in the mouth is given by the triangularis oris, 
pr depressor anguli oris (a, fig. p. 101), a muscle which 
I have not found in any of the lower animals; I 



OF THE MUSCLES OF ANIMALS, 127 

/believe it to be peculiar to man, and I can assign no 
•other use for it than that which belongs to expression. 
It arises from the base of the lower jaw, and passes np to 
be inserted, with the converging fibres of almost all 
the muscles of the side of the face, into the comer of the 
mouth : it produces that arching of the lip so expressive 
of contempt, hatred, jealousy ; and in combination with 
the elevator of the under lip, or superbus, and the 
orbicularis, it has a larger share than any other muscle 
in producing the infinite variety of motions in the 
mouth, expressive of sentiment. 

When we compare the muscles of the human head with 
those of animals, we perceive many smaller distinctions, 
which 1 shall not at present discuss. The depressor aim 
nasi (o.fig.p. 99), the nasalis lahii superioris (B,fig.p. 101), 
the anterior fibres of the occipito frontalis (a, fig. p. 92), 
are not found in the brute ; and in general, the more 
minute and fasciculated structure of all the muscles of 
the lips, in the face of man, shows a decided superiority 
in the provision for motion of the features. 

We have already observed, that the faces of animals 
seem chiefly capable of expressing rage and fear ; even 
pain is indicated more in the voice, and in writhing 
and struggling. 

The rage of the graminivorous animal is chiefly visible 
in the eye, in the inflation of the nostril, and in the 
disturbed state of the body. It is expressed most 
strongly by the carnivorous animals : in them it is 
wild, ferocious, and terrifying. Their expression of 
rage, so far as it appears in the face, is shewn by the 
strong action of the ringentes, or snarling muscles, the 
exposure of the canine teeth, the gnashing of the tusks, 
and the brilliant excitement of the eye. The expression 
of human rage partakes of both; the corresponding 
muscles of the lips and nostrils producing a similar 
action to that in animals; an exposure and clenching 



128 OF THE MUSCLES OF ANIMALS. 

of the teeth ; a degree of sparkling of the eye, and an 
inflation of the nostril. Of a face under the influence 
of such actions, a spectator would infallibly say, that 
the aspect was brutal, savage, and cruel. But when 
the corrugator supercilii, a muscle peculiar to human 
expression, is brought into action, the sign is altered. 
The eyebrows are knit, the energy of mind is apparent, 
and there is the mingling of thought and emotion with 
the savage and brutal rage of the mere animal. 

In man, the actions of the frontal muscle of the 
corrugator supercilii, and of the orbicular muscle of 
the mouth, give much expression. If instead of the 
retraction of the lips and the exposure of the teeth, as 
in the rage or pain of animals, the mouth is half 
closed, the lips inflected by the circular fibres, and 
drawn down by the action of the peculiarly human 
muscle, the depressor anguli oris, then there is ex- 
pressed WlOjki agony of mind than of mere bodily suffer 
ing, by a combination of muscular actions of which 
animals are incapable. 

The action of the orbicular muscle of the lips is, indeed, 
the most characteristic of agony of mind, and of aU those 
passions which partake of sentiment; in grief, in vexation 
of spirit, in weeping, it modifies the effect of the muscles 
of animal expression, and produces human character. 

Fear is characterised in animals by a mingling of 
anger, and of preparation for defence, with a shrinking 
of alarm in the more ferocious, and a straining of the 
eye and inflation of the nostril, with trembling, in the 
milder. In human fear and suspicion, the nostril is 
inflated, and the eye has that backward, jealous, and 
timid character which we see in the horse, and in the 
gentler classes of animals. 

The orbicular muscle of the lips, with the system of 
elevating and depressing muscles in man, lead to ex- 
pressions peculiarly human. And here I may observo, 



OF THE MCSCLES OF ANIMALS. 129 

that expression is not always tne effect of a contraction 
of the muscles of the face, either general or partial. It 
proceeds rather from a combined action of the -muscles 
when under passion ; for it is often the relaxation of a 
certain class, more than their excitement, which gives 
expression ; and of this, smiling and laughter furnish 
the most apposite examples. 

The capacity of receiving ludicrous ideas is as com- 
pletely denied to animals as they are utterly inoapahle 
jf the accompanying action of laughter. Dogs, in 
heir expression of fondness, have a slight eversion of 
the lips, and grin and snuff amidst their frolic and 
gambols, in a way that resembles laughter ; but in all 
this there is nothing which truly approaches to human 
expression. That is produced by the relaxation of the 
orbicular muscle of the lips, and the consequent prepon- 
derating action of the elevating muscles ; and, of course, 
it can exist only in a face which possesses both the orbi- 
cular and the straight muscles of the lips in perfection. 

In the emotions of contempt, pride, suspicion, and 
jealousy, the orbicular muscle and the triangularis oris, 
produce by their combination the arching of the lips, 
and the depression of the angle of the mouth. The 
horizontal drawing of the lips, which just discloses the 
teeth, and betrays the severe or bitter and malignant 
passions, is owing to a more general action of the 
muscles overcoming the opposition of the orbicularis. 

In grief, the muscles of the eyebrow and those of the 
lips are combined in expression ; hence the union of 
that upward direction of the extremity of the eyebrow 
characterising peevishness, discontent, and sinking of 
the spirits, with the depression of the angle of the 
mouth, which so distinctly indicates the harassed and 
subdued state of mind. 

By the combination of those muscles of expression 
much of that various play of the features expressive 



130 OP THE MUSCLES OF ANIMALS. 

of Inaman passions, as joy, hope, admiration, anxiety, 
fear, horror, despair, is produced ; and thus, while the 
human countenance is capable of expressing both the 
rage of the more ferocious animals, and the timidity 
of the milder, it possesses, by the consentaneous action 
of a few super-added muscles, powers of expression 
varying almost to infinity. 

It is curious to observe how the mnscles thus afford 
a new occasion of distinguishing the classes of animals ; 
and how, as signs of superior intelligence, they give 
proofs of the endowments of man, and the excellence 
of his nature. The full clear eye; the arched and 
moveable eyebrow ; the smooth and polished forehead ; 
as indicating susceptibility of emotion, and power of 
expression, are grand features of human character and 
beauty ; and it is the perfection of beauty when the 
spectator is made sensible of this inherent, this latent 
power, even while no prevailing passion affects the 
ibatures. But a great portion of the beauty of the 
human face is in the nose and the mouth ; in a nostril 
which has a capacity for expression, without being too 
membranous and inflatable, for that produces a mean 
and imbecile kind of fierceness ; and in lips, at once 
full and capable of those various modiilations of form 
which are necessary to speech and the indication of 
human feeling. 



( 131 ) 



ESSAY TI. 

" Grief laments the absence, and fear apprehends the loss of 
what we love ; desire pursues it ; hope has it in view ; and joy 
triumphs in possession." * 



OF EXPRESSION (continued). 

We advance to tlie interesting subject of variable 
expression in tlie human face. It is bj^ the habit of 
expression that the countenance is improved or de- 
graded, and that the characters of virtue or vice are 
imprinted. If hardship, misfortune, care, and, still 
more, vice, are there habitually impressed, then all 
that we admire is lost. 

Peace, comfort, society, and agreeable studies, pre 
Berve the features mobile, and ready to conform, as an 
index of the mind, to the sentiments we love. Petrarch, 
Boccaccio, and Dante, dwell on the expression of th^jir 
mistresses.^ Addison has justly said, " No woman can 
he handsome by the force of features alone, any more 
than she can be witty only by the help of speech." 

The form of the face and the features are but the 
groundwork of expression. The influence of passion 

* Heylin, vol. i. p. 5. 

f " Poi guardo Vamorosa e heUa hoeca — 
La spaziosa fronte, e U vago piglio 
Li bianchi denti, e il dritto naso, e il oiglio 
Polito e brun tal che depinto pare." — Dahtb. 

"Boave va a guisa di un bel pavone." 

Vecamerone Oiomata, iv, 
K 2 



13;^ OF EXPEESSION. 

Oil the body is a subject which has been discussed from 
the first dawnings of philosophy. The Greeks did not 
confine their study to the outward form of man ; they 
also speculated on the habit of the body as affecting the 
mind . and we insensibly use their language, although 
the course of their ideas may be rejected or forgotten. 
There are varieties in the forms, strength, temper, and 
capacities of man. It has been well said that you 
cannot tread on a man's toe without learning something 
of his temper. One man will have his joke, although 
it may hurt his dearest friend, and another has so little 
imagination, that sven in the delirium of fever he is dull. 
Some are generous to profligacy, or frugal to meanness, 
or gallant and true, or cowardly and insincere : these 
varieties are a part of human nature, and necessary to 
the constitution of society. But the ingenious reasoners 
of Ancient Greece ascribed the diversity of disposition 
to the texture of the frame ; not to the features, nor to 
the proportions or shape of the skull, but rather to 
the mixture of the elements of the body; and more 
to the fluids than to the solids. Those distinctions, 
familiar to all, have in every succeeding age been at- 
tributed to the humours. When we speak of the con 
stitution, the temper, the humour of a man, we are in 
truth adopting the language of Hippocrates, who treated 
of the four radical humours,- — the sanguineous, phleg- 
matic, choleric, and melancholic. 

Other philosophers have imagined that the disposi- 
tions of man might have their source in his greater or 
less resemblance to the brutes. It was then allowable 
to fancy that a lion-like frame, strong hair, deep voice, 
and powerful limbs, were combined with courage. But 
our heroes are not of that mould. To be collected 
amidst fire and smoke, and the deafening sounds of 
battle — to marshal thousands — or to direct the vessel's 
course, whilst exposed not only to wounds but to death, 



OP EXPRESSION. 133 

is true courage ; and in these days, it is witnessed in 
the pale and fragile, more than in the strong and 
sanguineous, or the bulky and hairy savage. We can 
better estimate true couiage since combatants have been 
divested of the helmet and mail.* 

That the features indicate the disposition by resem- 
bling those of animals, is an unjust and dangerous theory. 
The comparison which we have made of the human 
form and features with those of certain classes of 
animals, is vt ry different from those speculations which 
would lead us to condemn a man because of some re- 
semblance in face to a brute, f 

Notwithstanding the attraction of the engravings in 
Lavater's work, the study of physiognomy is now 
abandoned for that of the cranium. But I must repeat, 
that the brain and the skull are constructed in strict 
relation, — a perfect brain and a perfect skull are formed 
together. And what is the perfection of the skull ? 
The cranium is as a helmet, constituted for the pro- 
tection of the brain ; and if so, must it not be adapted 
to the forces it has to sustain or resist ? The skull is 
most perfect when its forms indicate the best possible 
provision for its peculiar use, the defence of the brain. 

Let us attend more especially to the human passions. 

* Sir G. N., in the assault of , killed his opponent. " Tho 

Boldier thrust at me with hia bayonet. I parried, and passed my 
sword through his body. In withdrawing it, I experienced a sen- 
sation which will only leave me with life." A kindred spirit 
expresses himself well. "The modern soldier is not the stern, 
bloody-banded man the ancient soldier was ;" the ancient warrior, 
fighting with the sword, and reaping the harvest of deetli when 
the enemy was in flight, became habituated to the art of slaying. 
" The modern soldier sees not his peculiar victims fall, and exults 
not over them as proof of personal prowess." Homer represents 
Achilles as driving over the dead, till his chariot-wheels are dyed 
in blood. 

t This was the theory of Giambatista Porta, in his " Humana 
Physiognomia." He was equally successful in detecting tlia 
qualities of plants by their resemblance to animals. 



134 LAUGHTER, 

1 do not mean to treat of all those conditions of mind 
which are considered under the head of the passions, 
sentiments, or emotions; bnt to limit my inquiry to 
that kind or degree of mental excitement, which draws 
the frame into action, and which is interpreted by its 
agitation ; when the spirits, by their vehemence, produce 
uncontrollable movements of the body, not determined 
by the will, but spontaneously arising with the state of 
feeling, which they strengthen and direct.* 

We shall begin, by marking the most extreme expres- 
sion of the passions, — laughter and weeping, 'i hey suit 
our purjjose as being peculiarly human, arising frorn 
sentiments not participated by the brutes. 

It is vain to inquire into the sources of these emo- 
tions; but I hope my reader consents to believe that 
the capacity of expression is bestowed as a boon, a 
mark of superior intelligence, and a source of enjoy- 
ment ; and that its very nature is to excite sympathy ; 
that it radiates, and is understood by all ; that it is 
the bond of the human family. 



LAUGHTER. 

We have seen that the muscles which operate upon 
the mouth are distinguishable into two classes, — those 
which surround and control the lips, and those which 
oppose them, and draw the mouth widely open. The 
effect of a ludicrous idea is to relax the former, and tc 
contract the latter; hence, by a lateral stretching ol 
the mouth, and a raising of the cheek to the lower 

* Were we not to limit our inquiry to the agitations of the body 
fie should be embarrassed with tlie ambiguity of such -words as 
passion, emotion, desire, inclination, appetite, the generous passions 
the passion of pride or of avarice : even the mere state of ouflerin 
i& iiiilod passion. * 



Fa^e 134 














"ik "■ 



1 1 " ^ 



LAUGHTER 



LArOHTER. 1 35 

eyelid, a smile is produced. The lips are, of all tlie 
features, the most susceptible of action, and the most 
direct index of the feelings. 

If the idea be exceedingly ridiculous, it is in vain 
that we endeavour to restrain this relaxation, and to 
compress the lips. The muscles concentring to. the 
mouth prevail ; they become more and more influenced ; 
they retract the lips, and display the teeth. The 
cheeks are more powerfully drawn up, the eyelids 
wi-mkled, and the eye almost concealed. The lachrymal 
gland within the orbit is compressed by the pressure 
on the eyeball, and the eye suffused with tears. 

Simple and passive pleasures, the delight of meeting 
or the contemplation of innocence, relax the lips and 
dimple the cheek, whilst the eyes are bright and in- 
telligent. The dimple is formed by the muscles which 
are inserted in the angle of the mouth acting on the 
plump integument of infancy and youth. 

Observe the condition of a man convulsed with 
laughter, and consider what are the organs or system 
of parts affected. He draws a full breath, and throws 
i i out in interrupted, short, and audible cachinnations ; 
ihe muscles of his throat, neck, and chest, are agitated ; 
the diaphragm is especially convulsed. He holds his 
sides, and, from the violent agitation, he is incapable of 
a voluntary act. 

It is impossible to avoid the conclusion, that it is 
the respiratory organs and their muscles which are 
affected during the paroxysm of laughter. Physiologists, 
in all former times, attributed the line of sympathetic 
relations which draw these remote parts into action, 
to. a nerve called the sympathetic. But I have proved, 
that there is a machinery altogether distinct ; and that 
the expression, not only of this, but of all the other 
passions, arises from that system of nerves, which, frran 
their great office, I have called respiratm-y. 



136 WEEPING. 

The respiratory nerves spring from a common centre 
in the medulla oblongata,* and pass oif divergingly to 
all the parts just enumerated, and to every organ 
employed in respiration. They combine these distant ^ 
parts in the ordinary action of breathing; and they 
are the agents in all the effects of passion, when 
these organs give the outward signs of the condition 
of the mind. 



WEKPING."f 

Weeping is another state of the features, proceeding, 
as we have before observed, from sensibility; and, 
therefore, human. Though the organs affected are the 
same as in laughter, viz., the respiratory muscles, the 
3xpression is as much opposed as the nature of the 
emotion which produces it. Were the condition of the 
features the effect of mere excitement, why should there 
be an association of the same class of muscles, so 
different from that in laughter? Is not this variety 
of expression a proof of design, and that all our 
emcjtions are intended to have their appropriate out- 
ward characters? 

According to Homer, the expression of weeping is 
not confined to babes ; Ulysses is made to feel that 
sensation in his nose which precedes the shedding of 
tears. 

The lachrymal glands are the first to be affected ; then 
the eyelids ; and finally, the whole converging muscles 
of the cheeks. The lips are drawn aside, not from 

The medulla oblongata is that part of the nervous system 
which is traced from the brain into the tube of the spine ; it is, 
consequently, the upper part of the spinal marrow. 

t I have thrown the expression of weeping, from pain, into the 
face of a Faun ; for such expression is inexpressibly metin and 
ludicrous iu the countenance of a man. 



Page 136 







WEEPING 



WEEPING. 137 

their cii-cular fibres relaxing, as in laughter, bnl from 
their being forcibly retracted by the superior influence 
of their antagonist muscles. Instead of the joyona 
elevation of the cheeks, the muscle -whieh pulls down 
the angle of the mouth, triangularis oris, is more under 
influence, and the angle is depressed. The cheeks are 
thus drawn between two adverse powers : the muscles 
which surround the eyelids, and that which depresses 
the lower lip. 

The same cause which drew the diaphragm and 
muscles of the chest into action in laughing is perceived 
here. The diaphragm is spasmodically and irregularly 
affected ; the chest and throat are influenced ; the 
breathing is cut by sobbing ; the inspiration is huriied, 
and the expiration is slow with a melancholy note. In 
the violence of weeping, accompanied with lamentation, 
the face is flushed, or rather suffused by stagnant blood, 
and the veins of the forehead distended. In this we 
see the effect of the impeded action of the chest ; a 
proof, not only that it is the respiratory system of 
nerves which is affected, but also of the condition of 
the heart, and its influence in respiration, of which 
we have spoken in a former essay. This expression of 
emotion may be introduced even in the highest walks 
of art ; but it requires great taste to portray it with- 
out offensive exaggeration.* 

* " The finest possible example of this condition of suffering U 
in the picture of Guercino (in the Gallery of Milan), the ' Departure 
of Hagar and Ishmael.' Those who have seen only the engraving 
can have little conception of the beauty of the picture, for the per- 
fection is in the colouring. Hagar has been weeping ; her eyes are 
red and swollen, but not so as to destroy her beauty ; she turns 
again OQ hearing Abraliam once more addressing her; she suspends 
her breath, you persuade yourself that you hear her short con- 
vulsive sobs ; for in the elevated shoulders and in the form of the 
open lips, this is plainly indicated. The suffering expressed in the 
condition of the chest, the misery in the forehead, and the colour- 
ing of the eyelids, make this the finest exiimple of expression which 
I have seen." — Note from Journal. 



138 WEEPING. 

The depi'ession of the angle of the mouth gives ais 
air of despondence and languor when accompanied by 
a general relaxation of the features, or, in other words, 
Df the muscles. When the corrugator which knits the 
brows co-operates with it, there is mingled in the 
expression something of mental energy, of moroseri ss, 
or pain. If the frontal muscle adds its operatinn, 
there is an acute turning upwards of the inner part 
of the eyebrow, characteristic of anguish, debilitating 
pain, or of discontent, according to the prevailing cast 
of the rest of the countenance. 

But while languor and despondency are indicated 
by depression of the angle of the mouth, the depression 
must be slight, not violent : for the depressor anguU oris 
cannot act strongly without the combination of the 
levator menti or superbus, which quickly produces a 
change in the expression, by making the nether lip 
pout contemptuously. 

In sorrow, a general languor pervades the whole 
countenance. The violence and tension of grief, the 
lamentations, and the tumult, like all strong excite- 
ments, gradually exhaust the frame. Sadness and 
regret, with depression of spirits and fond recollections, 
succeed ; and lassitude of the whole body, with dejec- 
tion of the face and heaviness of the eyes, are the most 
striking characteristics. The lips are relaxed and the 
lower jaw drops ; the upper eyelid tails and half covers 
the pupil of the eye. The eye is frequently filled 
with tears, and the eyebrows take an inclination 
similar to that which the depressors of the angles 
of the lips give to the mouth.* 

I am not quite sure that in the distress of Constance 

• Some have been so far deceived by the effect of tliis raising ol 
the eyebrows towards the centre of I he forehead as to give the same 
oblique line to the eyes; but the caulhus or angle of tlie eye ia 
fixed imiaoveiibly, and no workiag of p.ission can alter it. 



WT!epi>;g. 139 

tbere is not an unnatural mixture of the tumult and 
violence of grief with the contemplative recollections 
of sorrow. Her impatience and turbulence, which 
make her tear her hair, defy all counsel and redress 
and call on death or madness as her sole relief, seeni 
ill assorted with that calmness of spirit which can 
stop to recollect and enumerate in detail the figure 
and endearing manners of her son. 

" Gr'ef fills the room up of my absent child, 
Ijies in his bed, walks up and down with me ; 
Puts on his pretty loolis, repeats his words, 
Remembers me of all his gracious parts, 
Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form : 
Then, have I reason to be fond of grief. 
Fare you well ! liad you had such a loss as I, 
I could give better comfort than you do. — 
I will not keep this form upon my head 

[tearing off her head-dress.l 
When there is such disorder in my wit. 
Lord ! my boy, my Arthur, my fair son ! 
My life, my joy, my food, my all the world ! 
My widow's comfort, and my sorrows' cure ! " * 

This appears rather to be the stage of the passion 
which is called sorrow; the indulgence of which is 
attended with a melancholy delight which can sanction 
the conclusion, " Then have I reason to be fond of 
grief." Yet, as conviction returns at intervals upon 
the mind, a period of quiet and sorrowful resignation 
is succeeded by starts and violent bursts of grief. 

Though grief is in general distinguished by its 
violence, lamentation, and tumult, while sorrow is 
silent, deep brooding, and full of depression, there is 
a stupefaction which sometimes characterises grief, " the 
lethargy of woe." 

We have already had occasion to remark, that ex- • 
pressions, peculiarly human, chiefly affect the angle ol 

* King John, Act iii. Scene 4. 



140 ■milEPiNa. 

tho moutli and the inner extremity of the eyebrow; 
anf! to these points we must principally attend in all 
nv\ observations concerning the expression of passion. 
The J' are the most moveable parts of the face ; in 
them, the muscles concentre, and upon the changes 
which they undergo, expression is acknowledged chiefly 
to depend. To demonstrate their importance, we have 
only to repeat the experiment made by Peter of 
Cortona ; to sketch a placid countenance, and touch 
lightly with the pencil the angle of the lips and the 
inner extremity of the eyebrows. By elevating or 
depressing these, we shall quickly convey the expression 
of grief or of laughter. 

These parts, however, and all the features of an 
impassioned countenance, have an accordance with each 
other. When the angles of the mouth are depressed 
in grief, the eyebrows are not elevated at the outer 
angles as in laughter. When a smile plays around 
the mouth, or the cheek is raised in laughter, the brows 
are not ruffled as in grief. The characters of such 
opposite passions are so distinct, that they cannot be 
combined where there is true and genuine emotion. 
When we see them combined, it is by those who 
have an unnatural control over their muscles, and 
the expression is farcical and ridiculous. It is an un- 
worthy conceit to give to one side of the face comedy 
and to the other tragedy. 

In the features of an impassioned countenance there 
is a consent and accordance of expression. It is not 
upon a single feature that the emotion operates ; but 
the whole face is marked with expression, all the move- 
ments of which are consentaneous. This is referable to 
some cause acting generally on the tone and state of the 
frame : the peculiar expression of individual emotion 
being distinguished by the action and determination of 
certain features. 



A'EEPINO. HI 

Taking indifference as the line of distinction lietween 
the two great classes of pain and of pleasure, the 
sensations above this line are weak compared with 
those below it. The simple sensations of pleasure, 
before they are heightened and diversified by the 
multiplied associations of mental affection, are soft and 
gentle in their nature. The class of painful sensations 
is powerful and overwhelming ; they are meant as our 
guardians and protectors against danger and death, and 
they operate with resistless force. The pleasurable 
sensations induce a languor and delight, partaking of 
the quality of indulgence and relaxation ; the painful 
excite to the most violent tension, and make the mus- 
cular frame start into convulsive action. 

The emotions and passions, grounded on these great 
classes of sensation, raised and increased by the 
mingling of hopes and fears, and the combination of 
analogous and associated images of delight or of dan- 
ger, derive their most important traits of expression 
from the general tone of pleasure or of pain. 

In pain, the body is exerted to violent tension, and 
all the emotions and passions allied to pain, or having 
their origin and foundation in painful sensations, have 
this general distinction of character, that there is an 
energetic action or tremor, the effect of universal and 
great excitement. It must at the same time be re- 
membered, that all the passions of this class, some 
more immediately, others more indirectly, produce in 
the second stage exhaustion, debility, and loss of tone, 
from over-exertion. 

On the other hand, as pleasure is characterised by 
languor, tranquillity, and relaxation, all the emotiona 
related to it, or deducible from pleasurable sensations, 
are felt in the prevailing state of the system — a degree 
of inaction, and as it were forgetfulness of bodily 
exertion, and an indulgence in mental contempla- 



142 WEEPING. 

tion.* The contemplation of beauty, or tte aiiiniration 
of soft music, produces a sense of langour; the body 
reolines; the lips are half opened; the eyes have a 
softened lustre from the falling of the eyelids ; the 
breathing is slow ; and from the absolute neglect of 
bodily sensation, and the temporary inteiruption of 
lespiration, there is a frequent low-drawn sigh. 

* " Here (Aooademia della Belle Arte, Bnlogna) are two pictures 
which one naturally compares. On the one side is the St. Cecilia ; 
on the other, the Murder of the Innocents. In the St. Cecilia of 
liaphael, in ecstasy, there is not only great beauty, but very fine 
expression. She hears the music of angels ; her face is turned 
upwards ; the features composed and fine. In the lower part of 
the face there is a gentle relaxation, almost a smile ; the eyes are 
directed upwards, but the eyebrow is placid. She is so wi'apt, that 
the pipes of the organ are almost falling from the hands, which 
Lang without exeition. 

" In the picture of the Murder of the Innocents, by Guido Eeni, 
there is an admirable figure of a woman, wild and full of fire, who 
flies with her infant pressed to her bosom. But there is another, 
whose face is in the very attitude of the Cecilia, yet how different I 
The murder of her child has been perpetrated ; the child lies dead 
before her ; she is on her knees ; her hands are clasped, and she 
Iniiks up to heaven ; her mouth is open, and all the features relaxed. 
The hair and dress are deranged. What, then, is the difference in 
expression, for there is a certain resemblance in the form and 
attitude of these heads ? What is the difference between the 
relaxation of di-spair and of enjoyment? the relaxed jaw, an! 
open mouth, and troubled forehead of the one, — the softness and 
languor, with a certain firmness in the lips of the other." — Note 
from JournaZ. 



( 143 ) 



ESSAY VII. 

THE SUBJECT CONTINUED; — OF PAIN — HORROR — CONVULSIONS 
DEMONIACS DEATH. 

The further we proceed in tkis inquiry the more 
difficult and delicate does it become. In continuing 
the subject, I shall rather indulge in detached remarks 
than pretend to follow a regular course ; keeping, I 
hope, still true to the observation of nature, and, as 
far as possible, unprejudiced by theory. 

Pain is affirmed to be unqualified evil ; yet pain is 
.lecessary to our existence ; at birth, it rouses the dor- 
mant faculties, and gives us consciousness. To imagine 
the absence of pain, is not only to imagine a now state 
of being, but a change in the earth, and all upon it. 
As inhabitants of earth, and as a consequence of the 
great law of gravitation, the human body must have 
weight. It must have bones, as columns of support, 
and levers for the action of its muscles; and this 
mechanical structure implies a complication and de- 
licacy of texture beyond our conception. For that fine 
texture a sensibility to pain is destined to be the pro- 
tection ; it is the safeguard of the body ; it makes us 
alive to those injuries which would otherwise destroy 
us, and warns us to avoid them. 

When, therefore, the philosopher asks why were not 
our actions performed at the suggestions of pressure, 
he imagines man, not constituted as he is, but as if he 
belonged to a world in which there was neither weight, 
nor pressure, nor anything injurious, where there were 



144 PAUf, 

no dangers to apprehend, no difficulties to overcome, 
and no call for exertion, resolution, or courage. It 
would, indeed, be a curious speculation to follow out 
the consequences on the highest qualities of the mind, 
if we could suppose man thus free from all hodil'^ 
suffering. 

But I return to the position, that pain is the great 
safeguard of the frame, and now proceed to examine 
its expression. 

In bodily pain the jaws are fixed, and the teeth 
grind ; the lips are drawn laterally, the nostrils dilated ; 
the eyes are largely uncovered and the eyebrows 
raised ; the face is turgid with blood, and the veins 
of the temple and forehead distended ; the breath 
being checked, and the descent of blood from the head 
impeded by the agony of the chest, the cutaneous 
muscle of the neck acts strongly, and draws down 
the angles of the mouth. But when joined to this, 
the man cries out, the lips are retracted, and the 
mouth open ; and we find the muscles of his body rigid, 
straining, struggling. If the pain be excessive he 
becomes insensible, and the chest is affected by sudden 
spasms. On recovering consciousness, he is incoherent, 
till again roused by suffering. In bodily pain con- 
joined with distress of mind, the eyebrows are knit, 
while their inner extremities are raised ; the pupils 
are in part concealed by the upper eyelids; and the 
nostrils are agitated. 

The expression of pain is distinguished from that 
of weeping not less than from that of laughing. These 
arise from mental conditions, independent of physical 
causes, and are uncontrollable and sympathetic. But pain 
is bodily ; that is to say, there is a positive nervous 
sensation, which excites to aotion, or to acts of volition ; 
an energy of the whole frame is produced by suffering, 
*nd, from the consciousness of its place or source, the 























PAIN 



DEMONIACS. 145 

efforts are directed to remove it. Hence the struggle, 
the powerful and voluntary exertions which accompany 
it. Yet there is a resemblance and, in some degree, an 
alliance between these actions and the spasms excited 
by galvanism in experiments on the nerves of animals 
apparently dead. 



OF DEMONIACS. 

"He has a Devil." — Two of the greatest painters, 
Kaphael and Domenichino, have painted demoniacal 
boys. In the convent of the Grotto Ferrata, in the 
neighbourhood of Eome, Domenichino has represented 
Saint Nilus in the act of relieving a lad possessed.* 
The saint, an old man, is on his knees in prayer ; the 
lad is raised and held up by an aged man ; the mother 
with a child is waiting the consummation of the 
miracle. Convulsions have seized the lad ; he is 
rigidly bent back ; the lower limbs spasmodically ex- 
tended, so that his toes only rest on the ground ; the 
eyes are distorted, and the pupils turned up under 
the eyelids. This would be the position of Opisthoto- 
nos, were not the hands spread abroad, the palms and 
fingers open, and the jaw fallen. Had the representa- 
tion been perfectly true to nature, the jaws w^ould 
have been clenched, and the teeth grinding. But then 
the miracle could not have been represented, for one, 

* " Domenioliino, in consequence of some peccadillo, took shelter 
in the .sanctuary of the monks of the Grotto Ferrata, a fortified 
convent some miles distant from Eome. The monks, under the 
threat of delivering him up, made him paint their walla ; and the 
frescoes are, indeed, beautiful, particularly the old men. That 
eompartment which is called the Demoniac Boy, is most admired." 
—Note from Journal. 

L 



146 DEMONIACS. 

under the direction of the saint, has the finger of hi a 
left hand in the boy's mouth, and the other holds a 
vessel of oil, with which the tongue is to be touched. 
The drawing and colouring exhibited in the lad, and' 
the grandeur of the old man, make this one of the 
most admired paintings in Italy. 

I have here given a sketch of the true Opisthotonos, 
where it is seen that all the muscles are rigidly con- 
tracted, the more powerful flexors prevailing over the 
extensors. Were the painter to represent every cir- 
cumstance faithfully the effect might be too painful, 
and something must be left to his taste and imagina- 
tion.* 

It may be considered bold to criticise the works 
of Eaphael ; but I venture to say that, if that great 
master intended, in his cartoon of the Death of Ananias, 
to excite horror, the effect would have been more 
powerful, if there had been greater truth in the con- 
vulsions of the chief figure, instead of a mere twisting 
of the body. Strange it is, but true, that we are most 
affected by the more slight, if correct, portraiture of a 
natural condition. 

In the same painter's great picture of the Trans- 
figuration, in the Vatican, there is a lad possessed, 
and in convulsions. I hope I am not insensible to the 
beauties of that picture, nor presumptuous in saj-ing 
that the figure is not natural. A physician would 
conclude that this youth was feigning. He is, I pre- 
sume, convulsed ; he is stiffened with contractions, and 
his eyes turned in their sockets. But no child was 
ever so affected. In real convulsions, the extensor 
muscles yield to the more powerfu. contractions of 

* The original sketch is in the College of Surgeons of Eilinburgh. 
J took it fi om soldiers wounded in the head, at the battle of 
ijorunna. Three men were similarly hurt, and in short sucoes- 
(Tve intervals similarly affected, so that the charaotor oould not 
|e mistaken. 






o 

I 




4" 




1 



CONVULSIONS. 147 

the flexor miiscles ; whereas, in the picture, the lad 
extends his arms; and the fingers of the left hand' 
are stretched imnaturally backwards. Nor do the 
lower extremities correspond with truth ; he stands 
firm ; the eyes are not natural, they should have been 
turned more inwards, as looking into the head, and 
partially buried under the forehead. The mouth, too, 
is open, which is quite at variance with the general 
condition, and without the apology which Domenichino 
had. The muscles of the arms are exaggerated to a 
degree which Michael Angelo never attempted ; and 
still it is the extensors and supinators, and not the 
flexors, which are thus prominent. 

Disease has characteristic symptoms, which we can 
accurately and scientifically reduce to description ; and 
borrowing from this source, there is no state of suffering 
from which we can so well infer the nature of the agita- 
tion of the frame as from hydrophobia. The patient 
being sensible of his condition, and calm, and aware 
of the experiment which is to be made upon him by 
his ph^-sician, when he calls for a glass of water, can- 
not resist the influence of the disease. He shudders, 
his face assumes an expression of extreme horror and 
alarm ; convulsive gulpings take place in Tiis throat ; 
he files to some support, and clings to the bedpost in an 
agony of suffocation. This I have witnessed in a 
powerful man. I have had the pain of seeing the 
disease in a girl of eighteen. The irritability of the 
skin being increased to an aw^ful degree, so that the 
touch of her long hair falling on her naked body, ex- 
cited, as she said, the paroxysms. These recurred with 
a sense of choking, with sudden and convulsive heav- 
iugs of the chest, a shuddering, and catching of the 
muscles of breathing, and an appalling expression of 
suffering. The paroxysms in such a case becoming 
more frequent and eevere, finally exhaust the powers 

L 2 



148 FEAR. 

of life. In these convTilfiions it is the nervous and 
muscular systems belonging to the natural function of 
respiration which are affected ; and as they are also the 
organs of expression, the condition is seen not only in 
the countenance, but in the throat and chest, to be 
that of extreme horror. 



FEAB. 

" Nam Timor unus erat, faoies non una timoris. 
Pars laniat crines, pars sine mente sedet. 
Altera moesta silet, frustra vocat altera matrem, 
Hasc queritur, stupet hasc, haeo fiigit, ilia manet." 

Ovid, De Arte Amandi. 

So Ovid describes the Sabine virgins ; and such the 
tumultuary and distracted state of mind produced by 
fear. " And there is good reason for this, because in 
a sudden daunt and onset of an ntiexpected evil, the 
spirits which were before orderly carried by their 
several due motions unto their natural works, are upon 
this strange appearance and instant oppression of danger 
so disordered, mixed, and stifled, that there is no power 
left either in the soul for counsel, or in the body for 
execution." In mere bodily fear there is mere animal 
expression and meanness. The breath is drawn and 
the respiration suspended ; the body fixed, and power- 
less ; the eyes riveted, or searching and unsteady ; and 
the action undetermined. 

Mr. Burke, in his speculations on fear, assimilates 
it, with perhaps too little discrimination, to pain. " A 
man in great pain," he observes, " has his teeth set ; 
his eyebrows are violently contracted ; his forehead is 
wrinkled; his eyes are dragged iuwards, and rolled 




'A 
O 






FEAR. 149 

with great vehemence; his hair stands on end; his 
voice is forced out in short shrieks and groans ; and 
the whole fabric totters." — " Fear or terror," he con 
tinues, " which is an apprehension of pain or death, 
exhibits exactly the same effects, approaching in 
violence to those just mentioned, in proportion to the 
nearness of the cause, and the weakness of the 
subject." * 

But there is one distinguishing feature of the two 
conditions : the immediate effect of pain is to produce 
an energetic action and tension of the whole frame; 
that of fear is to relax all the energy of mind and of 
body — to paralyse, as it were, every muscle. Mr. Burke 
soems to have written loosely, partly from forgetting i 
that pain and fear are often combined, and partly from 
taking a view of the subject too much limited to the 
particular conclusion which he wished to enforce. 
There cannot be great pain without its being attended 
by the distraction of doubts and fears ; the dread even 
of death is a natural consequence of extreme pain, and 
so the expression of fear in the countenance is fre- 
quently mingled with that of pain. But, perhaps, there 
are few passions which may not be assimilated by such 
combinations ; fear and hatred ; hatred and rage ; rage 
and vengeance and remorse. On the other hand, con 
fining ourselves to simple bodily fear, there is much 
truth in the observation of this eloquent writer. The 
fear of boiling water falling on the legs, gives an ex- 
pression of the anticipation of scalding, resembling the 
meaner expression of bodily pain. As Mr. Burke says, 
fear in the dog will no doubt be that of the lash, and 
he will yelp and howl as if he actually felt the blows ; 
and this indeed is the only kind of fear which brutes 
know. The higher degrees of fear, in which the mind 

• Sublime and Beautiful, Part IV. sect. 3. Cause of Paiu and 
Fear. 



150 FEAE. 

operates, and which, we ehall see characterised in the 
countenance by an expression peculiar to mental energy, 
do not appear in them. 

In man, the expression of mere bodily fear ia like 
that of animals, without dignity ; it is the mean an- 
ticipation of pain. The eyeball is largely uncovered, 
the eyes are staring, and the eyebrows elevated to the 
utmost stretch. There is a spasmodic affection of the 
diaphragm and muscles of the chest, disturbing the 
breathing, producing a gasping in the throat, with an 
inflation of the nostril, convulsive opening of the mouth, 
and dropping of the jaw ; the lips nearly conceal the 
teeth, yet allow the tongue to be seen, the space 
between the nostril and the lip being full. There is 
a hoUowness and convulsive motion of the cheeks, and 
a trembling of the lips, and muscles on the side of the 
neck. The lungs are kept distended, while the breath- 
ing is short and rapid. From the connection of the 
nerves of the lungs and diaphragm with those of the 
side of the neck, and with the branches which supply 
the cutaneous muscle of the cheek and neck, we may 
comprehend the cause of the convulsive motion of this 
muscle.* The aspect is pale and cadaverous from the 
receding of the blood. The hair is lifted up by tho 
creeping of the skin, and action of the occipito- 
frontalis. 

In the preceding sketch, I have endeavoured to 
express fear mingled with wonder. But if we should 
suppose the fear there represented, to have arisen from 
apprehended danger still remote, and that the object of 
fear approaches, and is now about to cleave to the 
person, he trembles, looks pale, has a cold sweat on his 
face, and in proportion as the imagination has less room 
to range in, as the danger is more distinctly visible, the 
expression partakes more of actual bodily pain. The 
* See Essay ou the Nerves. 



FEAB. 151 

scream of f jar is heard, the eyes start forward, the lips 
are drawn wide, the hands are clenched, and the ex- 
pression becomes more strictly animal, and indicative of 
such fear as is common to brutes.* 

• I shall here transcribe a portion from my brother's volume on 
Italy. Mr. John Bell travelled in declining health ; and died in 
Eome, in ] 820. He had written a great deal with a pencil, in the 
course of his joui-uey : and no less than thirty small volumes of 
notes, tlius jotted down on his knee, were submitted by his widow 
to Professor Bell and myself. In these we saw much to admire ; 
but kiiowing how much would have been changed and corrected 
had our brother lived, we tliought them unfit for publication. Of 
the many striking passages in the work, the following may be 
Belected as relating to the present subject : — 

" Turin. The Execution of an Assassin. — I found myself opposite 
to the distracted criminal whom they were conducting to execution 
in all the agouies of terror and despair. He was seated in a black 
car, preceded by arquebusiera, on horseback, carrying their cara- 
bines pointed forward. These were followed by a band of priests, 
clothed in long black robes, singing, in deep and solemn tones, a 
slow mournful dirge, — part of the service" for the dead. A hot 
burning sun shone with a flood of light ; and, though it was mid- 
day, such was the silence, and such the power and effect of this 
solemn chant, that its sound was re-echoed from every distant 
street. The brothers of the Misericordia, clothed in black, and 
masked, walked by the side of the car, and joined in the chant. 
On the steps of the car sat a man bearing a flag, on which Death 
was represented in the usual forms, and on which was inscribed in 
Latin (if I read it rightly), ' Death has touched me with his fingers,' 
or ' Death has laid his bauds on me.' On each side of the car, the 
officiating priests were seated ; and in tlie centre, sat the criminal 
himself. It was impossible to witness the condition of this unliappy 
wretch without terror ; and yet, as if impelled by some strange in- 
fatuation, it was equally impossible not to gaze upon an object so 
wild, so full of horror. He seemed about thirty-five years of age ; 
of large and muscular form; his countenance marked by strong 
and savage features; half naked, pale as death, agonised with 
terror, every limb strained in anguish, his hands clenched convul- 
sively, the sweat breaking out on his bent and contracted brow, he 
kissed incessantly the figure of our Saviour, painted on the flag 
which was suspended before him ; but with an agony of wildnesa 
and despair, of which, nothing ever exhibited on the stage can 
give the slightest conception. I could not refrain from moralising 
upon the scene here presented. The horror that the priest had 
excited in the soul of this savage, was greater than the fear of the 
most cruel death could ever have produced. But the terrors thus 



152 TEEEOK. 

1 should apply the name of terror to that kind of fear 
in which there is a strong working of the imagination, 
and which is therefore peculiar to man. The eye is 
hewildered ; the inner extremity of the eyebrows is 
elevated, and strongly knit by the action of the cor- 
rugator ; thus producing an expression of distracting 
thought, anxiety, and alarm, and one which does not 
belong to animals. The cheek is a little raised, and all 
the muscles which are concentred about the mouth are 
active ; there being a kind of modulating action in the 
circular muscle of the lips, which keeps the mouth 
partially open. The cutaneous muscle of the neck, the 
platysma myoides, is strongly contracted, and its iibres 
may be seen starting into action like cords, under the 
skin, and dragging powerfully on the angles of the 
mouth. The imagination wanders; there is an inde- 
cision in the action, the steps are furtive and unequal, 
there is a spasm which hinders speech, and the colour 
of the cheeks vanishes. 

" Canat thou quake and chaiic;e thy colour, 
Murther thy breath in middle of a word, 
And then again begin, and stop again. 
As if thou wast distraught and mad with terror?"* 

"When mingled with astonishment, terror is fixed and 
mute. The fugitive and unnerved steps of mere terror 
are then changed for the rooted and motionless figure of 



raised, were the superstitions of an ignorant and bewildered mind, 
bereft of animal courage, and impressed with some confused belief, 
that eternal safety was to be instantly secured by external marks of 
homage to the image. There was here none of the composed, 
conscious, awful penitence of a Christian ; and it was evident, that 
the priest was anxious only to produce a being in the near prospect 
of death, whose condition should alarm all that looked on him. 
The attempt was successful." — Observations on Italy, p. 48. By 
the late John Bell. Published by his Widow. Edinbmgh, 1825. 
*' Biohard III. Act iit Soene 5. 



Page 152 




TERROR 



DESPAIR. 153 

a creature appalled and stupified. Spenser characteriBes 
well this kind of terror : — 

" He answered nought at all : but adding new 
Fear to his first amazement, staring wide 
With stony eyes, and heartless hollow hue, 
Astonish'd stood, as one that had espy'd 
Infernal furies with their chains unty'd. 
• • * * • 

But trembling every joint did inly quake, 
And falt'ring tongue at last these words seem'd forth to shake."* 

Horror differs from both fear and terror, although 
more nearly allied to the last than to the first. It is 
superior to both in this, that it is less imbued with 
personal alarm. It is more full of sympathy with the 
sufferings of others, than engaged with our own. We 
are struck with horror even at the spectacle of artificial 
distress, but it is peculiarly excited by the real danger 
or pain of another. We see a child in the hazard 
of being crushed by an enormous weight, with sensa- 
tions of extreme horror. Horror is full of energy ; the 
body is in the utmost tension, not unnerved, by fear. 
The flesh creeps, and a sensation of cold seems to chill 
the blood ; the term is applicable of " damp horror." 

Despair is a mingled emotion. While terror is in 
some measure the balancing and distraction of a mind 
occupied with an uncertainty of danger, despair jss the 
total wreck of hope, the terrible assurance ol'ruin 
having closed around, beyond all power of escape. - 
The expression of despair mu.st vary with the nature of 
the distress of which it forms the acme. In' certain 
circumstances it will assume a bewildered, distracted 
air, as if madness were likely to be the only close to the 
mental agony- Sometimes there is at once a wildness 
in the looks and total relaxation, as if falling into 
insensibility ; ;r there is upon the countenance of the 

* Faery Queen, Book L oant, 9, l. 24. 



154 DESPAIR. 

desperate man a torrid gloom ; the eye is fixed, yet ho 
neitlier sees nor hears aught, nor is sensible of what 
surrounds him. The features are shrunk and livid, 
and convulsion and tremors affect the muscles of the 
face. Hogarth has chosen well the scene of his picture 
of despair. In a gaming-house, the wreck of all hope 
affects, in a thousand various ways, the victims of this 
vice ; but in every representation of despair, an incon- 
solable and total abandonment of those exertions to 
which hope inspirits and excites a man, forms an 
essential feature. We have two fine descriptions of 
despair given in detail by English poets. One is by 
Spenser : 

" The darksome cave they enter, where they find 
That cursed man, low sitting on the_ ground, 
Musing full sadly in his sullen mind ; 
His grcazy looks, long growing and unbound, 
Disorder'd himg about his shoulders round, 
And hid his face ; through which his hollow eyne 
Look, deadly dull, and stared as astound ; 
His raw-bone cheeks, through penury and pine. 

Where shrunk into his jaws, as he did never dine." * 

The other is in the tragedy of the " Gamester," 
where Beverley, after heart-rending reiteration of hope 
and disappointment, having staked the last resource of 
his wife and family on one fatal throw, ;finds himself 
suddenly plunged into ruin. 

" When all was lost, he fixed his eyes upon the 
ground, and stood some time with folded arms stupid 
and motionless : then snatching his sword that hung 
against the wainscot, he sat him down, and with a look 
of fixed attention drew figures on the floor. At last he 
started up; looked wild and trembled; and, like a 
woman seized vsdth her sex's fits, laughed out aloud, 
while the tears trickled down his face. So he left the 
room." 

* Faery Queen, Book i. cant. 9, b. 3f 



ADMIRATION. J 55 

A painter may have to represent terror, despair, 
astonishment, and supernatural awe, mingled in one 
powerful expression of emotion. In a mind racked 
with deep despair, conscious of strength and courage, 
hut withered and subdued by supernatural agency, 
the expression is quite removed from all meanness ; 
it must be preserved grand and terrific ; the hero 
may still appear, though palpitating and drained of 
vigour. 

Milton has admirably sketched the nerveless stupe- 
faction of mingled astonishment and horror : — 

" On th' other side, Adam, soon as he heard 
The fatal trespass done by Eve, amaz'd, 
Astoniod stood and blank, while horror chill 
Ban through his veins, and all his joints relax'd; 
Prom his slack hand the garland wreath'd for Eve 
Down dropp'd, and all the faded roses shed: 
Speechless he stood and^iale, till thus at length 
First to himself he inward silence broke." * 

In admiration, the faculty of sight is enjoyed to the 
utmost, and all else is forgotten. The brow is expanded 
and unruffled, the eyebrow gently raised, the eyelid 
lifted so' as to expose the coloured circle of the eye, 
while the lower part of the face is relaxed in a gentle 
smile. The mouth is open, the jaw a little fallen, 
and by the relaxation of the lower lip we just perceive 
the edge of the lower teeth and the tongue. The 
posture of the body is most expressive when it seems 
arrested in some familiar action. 

Joy is distinguishable from pleasure. It consists, 
not so much in the sense of gratification, as in the 
delight of the conviction that the long-expected 
pleasure is within our reach, and the lively anticipation 
of the enjoyment which is now decked out in its most 
favourite and alluring shape. A certain sensation ol 

* Paradise Lost, Book ii. ver. 888. 



156 JOT. 

want is mingled with joy; a recollection of the alter- 
nate hopes and fears which formerly distracted the 
mind, contrasted with the immediate assurance ol 
gratification. 

In joy the eyebrow is raised moderately, but without 
any angularity ; the forehead is smooth ; the eye full, 
lively, and sparkling ; the nostril is moderately in- 
flated, and a smile is on the lips. In all the exhilarating 
emotions, the eyebrow, the eyelid, the nostril, and the 
angle of the mouth are raised. In the depressing 
passions it is the reverse. For example, in discontent 
the brow is clouded, the nose peculiarly arched, and the 
angle of the mouth drawn down. 

Contrasted with joy is the testy, pettish, peevish 
countenance bred of melancholy; as of one who is 
incapable of receiving satisfaction from whatever source 
it may be offered ; who cannot endure any man to look 
steadily upon him, or even speak to him, or laugh, or 
jest, or be familiar, or hem, or point, without thinking 
himself contemned, insulted, or neglected. 

The arching of the mouth and peculiar form of the 
wings of the nose are produced by the conjoint action 
of the triangular muscle which depresses the angles of 
the mouth, and the superbus, whose individual action 
protrudes the lower lip. The very peevish turn given to 
the eyebrows, the acute upward inflection of their inner 
extremities, and the meeting of the perpendicular and 
transverse furrows in the middle of the forehead, are 
produced by the opposed action of part of the frontal 
muscle and of the cornigator. 

Habitual suspicion and jealousy are symptoms and 
accompaniments of melancholy. Envy may be classed 
with these expressions ; but it is an ungenerous re- 
pining, not a momentary passion.* "It consumes a 

• " La invidia, crudelissimo dolore di animo, per il bene altrai, 
fa ritiiar tutti i membri, oome contraere etofiuscar le oigUe, gtiiugers 



Pag& 156 




n Hj ^ * y 

s 



/. 






Jealoust 



JEALOUSY. 157 

man as a moth does a garment, to be a living anatomy, 
a skeleton — to be a lean and pale carcass quickened- 
with the fiend — ' intahescetque vivendo.' " 

Suspicion is cbaracterised by earnest attention, with 
a certain timorous obliquity of tbe eyes : — 

" Foul ill-favoured and grim. 
Under his eyebrows looking still askance ; 
And ever as Dissemblance laughed on him, 
He lour'd on her with dangerous eye glance, 
Showing his nature in his countenance : 
His rolling eyes did never rest in place, 
But walk'd each where, for fear of hid mischaunce. 
Holding a lattice still before his face. 
Through which he still did peep as forward he did pace." * 

Jealousy is marked by a more frowning and dark 
obliquity of the eyes, as if it said, " I have an eye on 
you ;" with the lowering eyebrow is combined a cruel 
expression of the lower part of the face. 

Jealousy is a fitful and unsteady passion : its chief 
character is in the rapid vicissitudes from love to hate ; 
now absent, moody, and distressed ; now courting love ; 
now ferocious and revengeful ; these changes make it a 
difficult subject for the painter ; and it is only in poetry 
that it can be truly presented in the vivid colours of 
nature. Even among poets, Shakspeare alone seems to 
have been equal to the task. Sometimes it may be 
personified in the face of a mean, suspicious, yet op- 
pressed creature ; or again in a lowering expression, 
the body as if shrunk into itself; like that of one 
brooding over his condition, and piecing out a tissue 
of trifling incidents to abuse his judgment. 



i denti, ritirar le labbra, torcersi con certa passione di sguardo quasi 
in atto di volere intendere et spiare i fatti altrui," &c. — Lomazzo 
p. 130. 

* Faery Queen, Book iii. c. 12, s. 15. 



158 RAGE. 

In jealousy the eyebrows are knit, and tlie eyelid so 
fully lifted as almost to disappear, while the eyehaU 
glares from under the hushy eyebrow. There is a 
general tension of the muscles which concentre around 
the mouth, and the lips retract and shew the teeth with 
a fierce expression ; this depends partly on the turn oi 
the nostril, which accompanies the retraction of the 
lips. The mouth should express that bitter anguish 
which the Italian poet has rather too distinctly told : — 

" Trema '1 cor dentro, e treman fuor le labbia, 
Non pud U lingua disnodar jiarola, 
La bocca amara e par che tosco v' habbia." 

Again : — 

" E per r ossa un tremor freddo gli scorre. 
Con cor trafitto, e con pallida faccia, 
E con voce tremante, e hocca amara.'" 

There seems to be a natural succession in the passions 
of rage, revenge, and remorse : I do not mean morally, 
but in regard to our present inquiry concerning the 
traits of expression. A slight change in the lineaments 
of rage gives the expression of revenge, while the cruel 
eye of revenge is tempered by the relaxing energy of 
the lower part of the countenance in remorse. 

Eage is that excess or vehemence of anger that can 
be no longer restrained — scBva animi tempestas. "Whether 
the object be near or remote, the frame is wrought and 
chafed. It is a brutal passion, in which the body acts 
with an impetuosity not directed by sense. If we 
observe it in a beast, we shall better recognise it in 
man. When the keeper strikes the tiger or the wolf 
with his pole, there is an instantaneous fire of ex- 
pression ; the eye, the teeth are in a moment exposed, 
and accompanied with an excitement of the frame 
which we cannot see unmoved. If we imagine the 




RAGE 



EAGE. 159 

tiuman brute strangling helpless age or infancy, it must 
l)e with such a rage as this. Lord Karnes says, "A 
stock or a stone by which I am hurt becomes an object 
Df resentment, and I am violently incited to crush it to 
atoms." 'I'his is purelj' as the wolf bites the stick which 
is presented to him. In considering those bursts of 
passion which lead us to wreak our vengeance upon 
inanimate objects. Dr. Eeid supposes we are possessed 
with the momentary belief that the object is alive : 
" There must," he says, " be some momentary notion or 
conception that the object of our resentment is capable 
of punishment." I believe the mistake here is in not 
having a confirmed notion of the intimate connection 
between the emotion in the mind and the exertion of 
the bodily frame. The body and limbs suffer an 
agitation as the face does, resulting from the passion ; 
and if a man, half conscious of the frenzy which 
possesses him, and afraid of being betrayed into an act 
of cruelty, flings from him the weapon of destruction, 
it is with the jerk and impetuosity of an outrageous act ; 
whilst his humane sense controls him, it is not capable 
of arresting that instinctive agency of the body wrought 
upon by the passion ; just as a man, after a long 
exercise of patience in some work of delicacy or nicety, 
is at last overcome, dashes the instrument from him, 
and relieves himself by a burst of impatience and some 
angry stride^ 

In rage the features are unsteady ; the eyeballs are 
seen largely ; they roll and are inflamed. The front is 
alternately knit and raised iii furrows by the motion of 
the eyebrows, the nostrils are inflated to the utmost ; 
the lips are swelled, and, being drawn by the muscles, 
open the corners of the mouth. The whole visage is 
Bometimes pale, sometimes turgid, dark, and almost 
livid; the words are del'.vered strongly through the 



160 EEMOliSE. 

fixed teeth ; " the hair is fixed on end like one distracted, 
and every joint should seem to curse and ban."* 
Tasso thus describes the rage of Argante : 

" Tacque ; e '1 Pagano al soffeiir poco uso, 
Morde le labbra, e di furor si strugg<5. 
Eisponder vuol, ma '1 suono esoe oonfuso, 
Siccome stride d' animal, che rugge : 
O come apre le nubi end' egli e cMuso, 
Impetuoso il fulmine, e sea fagge ; 
Cos! pareva a forza ogni suo detto 

Tonando uscir dall' Infiammato petto." — Cant. vi. 38.t 

But in representing the passion, it may be much 
varied : perhaps the eyes are fixed upon the ground ; 
the countenance pale, troubled, and threatening; the 
lip trembling and the breath suppressed, or there is a 
deep and long inspiration as of inward pain. 

In the following sketch I have endeavoured to 
represent that expression which succeeds the last 
horrid act of revenge ; the storm has subsided, but 
the gloom is not yet dissipated. Some compunctious 
visitings of nature are in the lips, though the eye 
retains its severity. By the posture and fixed attention, 
I would indicate that the survey of the now lifeless 
body carries back the train of thought with regret for 
past transactions. 

To represent the prevailing character and physiog- 
nomy of a madman, the body should be strong and the 
muscles rigid and distinct, the skin bound, the features 
sharp, the eye sunk; the colour of a dark brownish 

* " La fciria fr gl' atti stolti e fuor di se ; si oomme di quelli che 
el awolgono ne i moti offensivi, senza riguardo alcuno, rendendosi 
vehementi ia tutti gl' affetti, con bocca aperta et storta, che par che 
stridano, ringhino, urlino et si lainentino, stracciandoai le membia 
et i panni et faoendo altre amunie." — Lommazzo, lib. ii. p. 135. 

t If the painter haa any imagination and power of delineation, 
the. reading of the conabat of Tancred and Argante must inspire 
him with a grand conception of the sublime ferocity of the human 
figure in action. 



'^ Pag& 160 




B.EKORSE, 




--It* ^ 







*>-. 



• \ 



■ _ ^ 



MADNESS 



MADNESS. 



161 



yellow, tinctured witli sallowness, without one spot of 
enlivening carnation ; the hair sooty black, stift' and 
bushy. Or, perhaps, he might be represented as of a 
pale sickly yellow, with wiry hair. 

" His burning; eyeu, whom bloody strakes did stain, 
Staved full ^\ide, and threw forth sparks of fire ; 
And more for rank despight than for great pain, 
Shak'd his long locks, colour'd like copper wire. 

And bit his tawny beard to show his raging ire." * 

I do not mean hei'e to trace the progress of the 
diseases of the mind, but merely to throw out some 
hints respecting the external character of the outrageous 
maniac. 

You see him lying in his cell regardless of everything, 
with a death-like settled gloom upon his countenance. 
When I say it is a death-like gloom, I mean a heaviness 
of the features without knitting of the brows or action 
of the muscles. If you watch him in his paroxysm you 
may see the blood working to his head ; his face 
acquires a darker red; he becomes restless; then rising 
from his couch he paces his cell and tugs his chains ; 
now his inflamed eye is fixed upon you, and his features 
lighten up into wildness and ferocity. 

The error into which a painter may naturally fall is 
to reiDresent this expression by the swelling features of 
passion and the frowning eyebrow ; but this would only 
give the idea of passion, not of madness. Or he mistakes 
melancholia for madness. The theory upon which we 
are to proceed in attempting to convey this peculiar 
look of ferocity amidst the utter wreck of the intellect, 
I conceive to be, that the expression of mental energy 
should be avoided, and consequently the action of all 
those muscles which indicate sentiment. I believe this 
to be true to nature, because I have observed (contrary 
to my expectation) that there was not that energy, 

" Fairy Queen, Book ii. L.iiit. 4, s. 15. 



1 62 MADNESS. 

that krjtting of the trows, that indignant hrooding 
and thoughtfulness in the face of madmen which is 
generally imagined to characterise their expression, and 
which is so often given to them in painting. There is 
a vacancy in their laugh, and a want of meaning in 
their ferociousness. 

To learn the character of the countenance, when 
devoid of human expressitjn, and reduced to the state 
of brutality, we must have recourse to the lower ani- 
mals, and study their looks of timidity, of watchfulness, 
of excitement, and of ferocity. If these expressions 
are transferred to the human face, I should conceive 
that they will irresistibly convey the idea of madness, 
vacancy of mind, and mere animal passion. 

But these discussions are only for the study of the 
painter. The subject should be full in his mind, 
without its being for a moment imagined that such 
painful or humiliating details are suited to the canvas. 
If madness is to be represented, it is with a nioral aim, 
to show the consequences of vice and the indulgence ol 
passion. 

There is a link of connection between all liberal pro- 
fessions. The painter may borrow from the physician. 
He will require something more than his fancy can 
supply, if he has to represent a priestess or a sybil. 
It n\ust be the creation of a mind, learned as well as 
inventive. He may readily conceive a female form full 
of energy, her imagination at the moment exalted and 
pregnant, so that things long past are painted in 
colours as if they stood before her, and her expression 
becomes bold and poetical. But he will have a more 
true and precise idea of what is to be depicted, if he 
reads the history of that melancholia which undoubtedly, 
in early times, has given the idea of one possessed with 
a spirit. A young woman is seen constitutionally 
pale and languid; and from this inanimate state, no 



MADNESS. 163 

show of affection or entreaty will draw her into con- 
versation with her family. But how changed is her 
coadition, when instead of the lethafgy and fixed coun- 
teaanoe, the circulation is suddenly restored, the blood 
mounts to her cheeks, and her eyes sparkle, while hoth 
in mind and body she manifests an unwonted energy, 
and her whole frame is animated. During the con- 
tinuance of the paroxysm, she delivers herself with a 
force of thought and language, and in a tone so greatly 
altered, that even her parents say, " She is not our 
child, she is not our daughter, a spirit has entered into 
her." This is in accordance with the prevailing super- 
stition of antiquity ; for how natural to suppose, when 
this girl again falls into a state of torpor, and sits like 
a marble statue, pale, exhausted, taciturn, that the 
spirit has left her. The transition is easy ; the priests 
take her under their care, watch her ravings and give 
them meaning, until she sinks again into a death-like 
stupor or indiiference. 

Successive attacks of this kind impress the counte- 
nance indelibly. The painter has to represent features 
powerful, but consistent with the maturity and per- 
fection of feminine beauty. He will show his genius 
by portraj'ing, not only a fine female form with the 
grandeur of the antique, but a face of peculiar cha- 
racter ; embodying a state of disease often witnessed 
by the physician, with associations derived from history. 
If on the dead and uniform paleness of the face he 
bestows that deep tone of interest which belongs to 
features inactive, but not incapable of feeling : if he 
can show something of the imprint of long suffering- 
isolated from human sympathy, throw around her the 
appropriate mantle, and let the fine hair fall on her 
shoulders, the picture will require no golden letters to 
announce her character, as in the old paintings of the 
Sybil or the Pythoness. 

M a 



164 



OF DEATH, AS REPRESENTED IN THE PAINTINGS OF THE 
OLD MASTERS. 

Before proceeding, I must repeat, that the convulsions 
of the body which sometimes accompany the act of 
dying, are not the effect of pain, but succeed to insensi- 
bility. There may remain, after death, for a time, the 
expression of suffering ; but this soon subsides, and the 
features become placid and composed. Therefore it is 
that the sorrowing friends are withdrawn, until Death 
has had the victory, when the features assume the 
tranquillity of sleep. 

'i'he observation of Leonardo da Vinci, that contrast 
is essential iu painting, has a fine example in the picture 
of the " Martyrdom of St. Agnes." * Near the martyr 
lie two soldiers struck down bj' a miracle : one of these 
is in the agony, but not j'et dead ; the muscles of his 
neck are convulsed, the mouth extended, and the lips 
drawn back from the teeth, the brow is furrowed, the 
eyes almost closed, and the pupils not visible : the 
other soldier is tumbled over him ; his features are 
fixed in death : with- both of these is contrasted the 
resignation of the martyr. 

When in Rome, I heard much of the fine statue of St. 
Cecilia Decollata ; f I, therefore, went to the Church of 
St. Cecilia in Trastevere. Looking for a statue, my 
surprise was great when it was pointed out where the 
figure lay, in a crypt or low marble arch, under the 
great altar. J A gold case, containing the heart of the 

* In the Aooademia delle Belle Arte, Bologna, 

t Stufuno Mademo Sculptor. 1599. 

X Cardinal Banonius has given us an exact description of tbe 
appearance of the body, buried by Pope Pasihal (in the 9th century) 
when exhumed by order of Cardinal Spondati in 1599, "She 
was lying not in the manner of one dead and buried, that is. 



DEATH. 1 65 

saint, hangs from the centre of the arcli. St. Cecilia 
was an early convert to Christianity, and having drawn 
her brother, and many others to the faith, she suffered 
martyrdom, and was found in tlie precise position in 
which this marble represents her. The body lies on 
its side, the limbs a little drawn up; the hands are 
delicate and fine, they are not locked, but crossed at 
the wrists ; the arms are stretched out The drapery 
is beautifully modelled, and modestly covers the limbs. 
The head is enveloped in linen, but the general form is 
seen, and the artist has contrived to convey by its 
position, though not offensively, that it is separated 
from the body. A gold circlet is around the neck to 
conceal the place of decollation. It is the statue of a 
lady, perfect in form, and affecting, from the resemblance 
to reality in the drapery of white marble, and the un- 
expected appearance of the statue altogether. It lies, 
as no living body could lie ; and yet correctly, as the 
dead, when left to expire, — I mean in the gravitation 
of the limbs.* 

The position of the head will distinguish the dead 
from the living figure. There is so much difference 



ou lier back, but on her right side, as one asleep : and in a very 
modest attitude ; covered with a simple stuff of taffeta, having her 
head bound with cloth, and at her feet the remains of the cloth of 
gold and silk which Pope Paschal had found in her tomb." The 
statue of Mademo agrees exactly with this description. — Mks. 
Jameson, Sacred and Legendary Art. 

* Statua di St. Cecilia. — " Questa grazlosa statua giaoente, lap- 
presenta un corpo morto come se allora fosse caduto moUemente sul 
terreno, coUe estremitd ben disposte e con tutta la decenza nell' 
assetto del panneggiamenti, teneudo la testa rivolta all' ingih 
e avilluppata in una benda, senza che inopportunamente si scnrga 
I' irrigldire del corpi fteddi per morte. Le pieghe vi sono facile, e 
tutta la grazia spira dalla persona, che si vede essere giovine e 
gentile, quantunque asconda la facoia ; le forme generali, e le belle 
estremitk che se mostrano, danno a vedere con quanta grazia e con 
quanta soelta sla stata imitata la natura in quel posare si doloe< 
mcnte." 



166 



DEATH. 




DEATH. 167 

between fainting and death; that is to say, it is so 
possible to mark the difference, that I confess I have 
been disappointed by the failure of some of the finest 
painters ; for example, in the representation of the 
Madonna fainting at the foot of the cross, which is a 
very frequent subject, the colouring is commonly that 
of death.* 

There is sometimes in death a fearful agony in the 
eye ; but we have said, that it is consolatory to know 
that this does not Indicate suffering, but increasing 
insensibility. The pupils are turned upwards and in- 
wards. This is especially observed in those who are 
expiring from loss of blood. It is the strabismus paiheti- 
cus orantium of Boerhaave. Sauvages observes on this 
rolling up of the eyeball, in dying children, — " Vulgo 
aiunt hos tenellos suara patriam respicere." ' The 
vulgar say, that these little ones are looking to their 
native home.'t 

We cannot fail to observe how artfully the poets 
accommodate their descriptions of death to that kind of 
interest which they have laboured to excite. The tyrant 
falls convulsed and distorted in agony; the hero, in 

* Gesit Crista Morto. — " He lies, the head and shoulders restiiig 
on the knees of his mother, who has fainted. The posture and 
abandonment of the Magdalen is the finest representation possible ; 
her hair,' as usual, loose. She is kneeling at the feet of our Saviour, 
her hands convulsively entwined. The dead body is beautifully 
drawn ; the anatomy perfect, not exaggerated. But the motlier is 
dea'l — gone to decay — not in faint, but in death : such is the effect 
of the colouring." — Note from Journal. Parma. 

t To express approaching dissolution, the French peasant uses a 
pai-ase derived from this upturning of the eye-ball. She arrived — 
" au moment ou ea mbre tourne I'xil." 

In the suildi n death of the necromancer by the action of Astolfo's 
jword on his fated hair : — • 

" Si fece il vise allor pallido e brutto 
Travolse gli occhi, e dimostro a 1' occaso 
Per manifesti segni esser condutto." 

Anoeto, e-. 15, st. 65. 



168 DEATH. 

whose fate we have been made to sympathise, expiree 
without the horrors of death ; his fall is described 
with all the images of gentle sinking, where mortal 
languor is succeeded by insensibility, unaccompanied by 
pangs and struggles. 

In the episode of Nisus and Euryalus, Virgil gives to 
the death of Sulmo all the horror of violent death ; the 
breath is convulsively drawn, and the sides palpitate. 

" Hasta volans noctis diverberat umbras, 
Et venit aversi in tergum Sulmonis, ilique 
Frannitur, ac fisso transit praeoordia liiiio. 
Volvitur ille vomens calidum de peotore flumen . 
Frigidus, et longis singultibus ilia pulsat." — 

Aineid, ix. 411. 

But in the death of Euryalus the poet recurs to all 
the images of languid and gentle decline : — 

" Volvitur Euryalus letho, pulchrosque per artus 
It cruor, inqiie bumeros cervix collapsa rccumbit : 
Purpureus veluti quum flos, succisus aratro, 
Languescit moriens ; lassove papavera coUo 
Demisere caput, pluvia quum forte gravantur." * 

uEneid, ix. 433. 

Tasso presents us with some very fine contrasts cl 

" In the death of Dardinel, the simile of Virgil is beautifully 
iinitiited by Ariosto : — 

" Come purpureo fior languendo muore 
Che '1 voiuero al passor tagliato ladsa; 
O oome earco di soverchio umore 
II papaver no 1' horto, il capo abbassa ; 
Cosi giii de lii faccid ogui cobre 
Cadendo, Dardinel di vita passa," &c. 

Cant. xvLii. 153. 

As a further contrast, we might take the deatli of the Soldau's 
page, Ger. Lib. ix. 86. So of Nisus throwing himself upon tlie body 
of his friend, JEneid, ix. 444. Contrast also the de.ath of Eunseus, 
lb. xi. 668, with that of Camilla, in the same book. 

Sallust thus describes finding tLs body of Catiline :—" Longe a 
Buis inter bostium cadavera, paululum etiam spirans, ferociamque 
animi quam habuerit vivus, in voltu retinens." 



DEATH. 16!) 

the same kind ; in the death of Argante, for example, 
there is a pioture of ferocious impetuosity and savage 
strength : — 

" Infuiiossi allor Tancredi et disse ; 

Cosi abusi, f'ellon, la piet^ inia ? 

Pol la spada gli fisse et gli refisse 

Nella visera, ove acoerti la via. 

Moriva Argante, e tal moria qual visse : 

Minacciava morendo, e non languia ; 

Superbi, formidabili, e feroci 

Gli ultimi moti ffir, 1' ultime voci." 

Tasso, Otr. Lib. cant. xix. 26. 

Sometimes, indeed, death may he represented unac- 
companied by the horror with which it is commonly 
associated. A young creature is seen in death, as if 
asleep, with the beauty of countenance unobscured by 
convulsion; the form remains, but the animation is 
gone, and the colours of life have given place to the pale 
tints of death. 

" D' un bel pallore ha il bianco volto asperso, 



In questa forma 

Passa la bella donna, e par che dorma." 

Tasso, Gtfr. Lib. cant. xii. 69 

Again the same poet : — 

" E quasi nn ciel notturno, anco serene 
Senza splendor la faocia sdolorata." 

Or Petrarch : — 

"Non come fiamma che per forza fe spenta, 
Ma che per se medesma si consume, 
Se n' ando in pace 1' anima contenta : 

A guisa di un soave e chiaro lume, 
Cui nutrimento a poco a poco manca, 
Tenendo al fin sao usato co.stume ; 

Pallida no, ma piii che neve bianca, 
Che senza vento in un bel colle fiocchi, 
Parea posar come pursona stanca. 



170 DEATH. 

Quasi un dolce dormir ne' suoi begli occhi, 
Essendo il spirto gia' da lei diviso, 
Era quel che morir chiaman glj sciocchi. 

Morte bella parea nel suo bel viso." 

Trinnfo della Morte. 

A man who has died in battle lies blanched and 
very pale ; he has bled to death ; but one strangled, 
smitten, or crushed by some deadly contusion, has the 
blood settled in his face. The following picture is truly 
horrible from its truth and accuracy ; — 

" But, see, his face is black, and full of blood ; 
His eyeballs further out than when he lived. 
Staring full ghastly like a strangled man ; 
His hair uprear'd, his nostrils stretch'd with struggling ; 
His hands abroad display'd as one that grasp'd 
And tugg'd for life, and was by strength subdued. 
Look on the sheets ; his hair, you see, is sticking ; 
His well-proportion'd beard made rouijh and rugged, 
Like to the summer's corn by tempest lodged. 
It cannot be but he was murder'd here ; 
The least of all these signs were iirobable.'' 

King Henry VI. Part II. 

The laws of inquest in England require such things 
to be witnessed in all their appalling circumstances, 
since the body lies where it falls, and no weapon or even 
disorder of dress is removed. 

Are such scenes to be painted? — Certainly not. The 
impression may be conveyed to the spectator consis- 
tently with good taste, and in a manner less obtrusive, 
so as to awaken the sensations which should attend 
them, without the detail of the actual scene. It may 
be allowed in words, as Shakspeare has represented the 
body of the good Duke Humphrey ; but in painting, 
the representation becomes too palpable to admit the 
whole features of horror. 



( 171 ) 



ESSAY VIII. 

OF KXPRESSION IN KEFERKNCE TO THE BODY THE EMOnONS 

MODIFIED BY CONTROLLING EXPRESSION. 

Ix the preceding essays, it has been shewn that the 
Dowerful passions influence the same class of nerves and 
muscles which are affected in highly excited or anxious 
breathing ; and it was inferred, that the apparatus of 
respiration is the instrument by which the emotions 
are manifested. In fear or in grief, the movements of 
the nostrils, the uncontrollable tremor of the lips, 
the convulsions of the neck and chest, and the audible 
sobbing, prove that the influence of the mind extends 
over the organs of respiration ; so that the difference is 
slight between the action of the frame in a paroxysm 
of the passions and in the agony of a drowning 
man. 

Having traced the connection between the excitement 
of the chest or trunk of the body and expression in the 
face, we may for a moment turn our attention to the 
consent between the breathing or expression of the body 
generally, and the position of the limbs. Let us take 
the instances by which we before illustrated the uni- 
versal consent of the animal frame. When the tiger or 
wolf is struck by the keeper, and suddenly roused to 
ferocity and activity, the -character is seen not only in 
the glare of the eyes, the retraction of the lips, and the 



172 EXPRESSION IK EEFEKENCE TO THE BODY. 

harsh sound of the breath as it is forcibly drawn 
through the confined throat, but every muscle is in 
tension and the lips in an attitude of strained exertion, 
prepared to spring. In this condition of high animal 
excitement, observe the manner in which the chest is 
kept distended and raisid ; the inspiration is quick, the 
expiration slow; and, as the keeper strikes the jaw, 
there is at the same instant a start into exertion, and 
the breath rapidlj^ drawn in. The cause of this ex- 
pansion of the chest is readily understood, when we 
recollect that the muscles by which the limbs are exerted 
have two extremities : one fixed, which is called the 
origin ; the other moveable, which is called the insertion. 
The muscles of the arms, in man, and of the forelegs, in 
brutes, have their origins on the chest. To give power 
to the further extremities or insertions of these muscles 
into the limbs, the chest must be fixed : and, to give 
them their fullest power, it must be raised and expanded, 
as well as fixed. Hence that most terrible silence in 
human conflict, when the outcry of terror or pain is 
stifled in exertion ; for, during the struggle with the 
arms, the chest must be expanded or in the act of risiag, 
and, therefore, the voice, which consists in the expul- 
sion of the breath by the falling or compression of the 
chest, is suppressed, and the muscles which perform the 
office of raising and distending the chest, act in aid of 
the muscles of the arms. The moment of alarm is also 
that of flight or defence; the sudden and startled 
exertion of the hands and arms is attended with a quick 
inspiration and spasm of the mouth and throat, and the 
first sound of fear is in drawing, not in expelling the 
breath ; for at that insta,nt to depress and contract the 
chest would be to relax the muscles of the arms and 
enfeeble their exertion. Or, to put the example in 
another form, suppose two men wrestling in the dark 
would not their voices convey to us the violence of theii 



EXPrESSION IN EEFEEENCE TO THE BODY. 173 

efforts? The short exclnmation choked in the act of 
exertion, the feeble and stifled sounds of their breathing, 
would let us know that they turned, and twisted, and 
wore in mortal strife. To an apt observer, two doga 
fighting might illustrate the subject. Smh com- 
binations of the muscular actions are not left to 
the direction of our will, but are provided for in the 
original constitution of the animal body : they are 
instinctive motions. Yet, the principles of criticism 
in these matters have been laid down with surprising 
confidence by persons who had no knowledge of ana- 
tomy, and whose curiosity had never been raised, to 
inquire into the phenomena of their own emotions, 
or of those they must have witnessed in others. 1 
shall transcribe here a passage from an elegant and 
ingenious critic, on which I shall freely make some 
remarks. 

" In like manner it is not with the agonies of a man, 
writhing in the pangs of death, that we sympathise, on 
beholding the celebrated group of Laoooon and his sons ; 
for such sympathies can only be painful and disgusting : 
but it is with the energy and fortitude of mind which 
those agonies call into action and display. For though 
every feature and every muscle is convulsed, and every 
nerve contracted, yet the breast is expanded and the 
throat compressed, to show that he suffers in silence. 
I therefore still maintain, in spite of the blind and 
indiscriminate admiration, which pedantry always 
shews for everything which bears the stamp of high 
authority, that Virgil has debased the character, and 
robbed it of all its sublimity and grandeur of expression 
by making Laoooon roar like a hull ; and I think that I 
may safely affirm, that if any writer of tragedy were to 
make any one personage of his drama to roar out in the 
same manner, on being mortally wounded, the whole 
audience would burst into laughter, ho-w pathetic 



174 EXPEE.SSION IN EEFEKKNCB TO THE BODY. 

soever the incidents might be that accompanied it. 
Homer has been so sensible of this, that of the vast 
number and variety of deaths, which he has described, 
he has never made a single Greek cry out on receiving 
a mortal wound."* 

The criticism here is just, so far as the artist is 
praised and the poet blamed ; but the critic has mis- 
taken the ground of the praise and of the blame. It 
appears strange that any one should philosophise on 
such points and yet be ignorant of the most common 
things in the structure of his own frame, and of 
the facts most essential to just criticism in works of 
art. What ideas can be conveyed, for example, by 
" the convulsion of a feature," and the " contraction 
of a nerve " ? 

The writer has had the impression, which all who 
look on the statue must have, that Laocoon suiiers in 
silence, that there is no outcry. But the aim of the 
artist is mistaken. He did not mean to express " energy 
and fortitude of mind," or, by " expanding the breast 
and compressing the throat, to shew that he suffers 
in silence." His design was to represent corporeal 
exertion, the attitude and struggles of the body and of 
the arms. The throat is inflated, the chest straining, 
to give power to the muscles of the arms, while the 
slightly parted lips show that no breath escapes ; or, at 
most a low hollow groan.f He could not roar like a 

* Mr. Payne Knight on Taste, p. 333. 
t " lUe simul nianibtis tendit divellere nodes, 
Perfusus saiiie vittas atrique veneno: 
Clamores simul horrendos ad sidera toUit : 
Qualis mugitua, fugit quum sancius aram 
Taurus, et incertam exoussit cervice securim." 

^neid, Lib. ii. 1. 220. 

" Virgilio ci rappresente Laoooonte in smanie e in muggite 
come uu toro ferito a morte ; ma Agesendro seppe exprimere tutto 
il dolore, senza cedere la bellezza." — Azara, p. 5a. This is juot 
the oritioism of Mr. Payne Knight. 



EXPEESSIOK IN REFERENCE TO THE BODY. 175 

bull — he had not the power to push his hreath out in 
the very moment of the great exertion of his arms to 
untwist the serpent which is coiled around him. It is 
a mistake to suppose that the suppressed voice, and 
the consent of the features with the exertion of the 
frame, proceed from an effort of the mind to sustain 
his pain in dignified silence ; for this condition oi 
the arms, chest, and face, are necessary parts of one 
action. 

The instant that the chest is depressed to vociferate 
or bellow, the muscles arising from the ribs and inserted 
into the arm-bones must be relaxed, and the exertion 
of the arms becomes feeble. Again, in speaking or 
exclaiming, a consent runs through all the respiratory 
muscles; those of the mouth and throat combine with 
those which move the chest. Had the sculptor re- 
presented Laocoon as if the sound flowed from his open 
mouth, there would have been a strange inconsistency 
with the elevated condition of his breast. Neither is it 
correct to buppose it possible that a man struck down 
with a mortal wound, and rolling in the dust, like 
Homer's ill-fated heroes, can loar out like a bull. A 
mortal wound has an immediate influence on these vital 
parts and respiratorj' organs, and the attempt to cry 
aloud would end in a feeble wail or groan. . There is 
no danger that the tragedian who follows nature should 
oiFend the taste of an audience by actual outcry. But 
these critics think it necessary to refine and go beyond 
Kature, whereas the rule is to learn her ways, and to be 
cautious of adding the slightest trait of expression, or 
what we conceive to be such, to the simple, and because 
simple, the grand character of natural action ; instead 
of making the appeal more strongly to the senses, it is 
sure to weaken it. 

In the statue of David with his sling, there is an 
attempt at expression which offends good taste, because 



176 EXPIiE?SION IN REFERENCE TO THE BODY. 

it is not true to nature. The artist has meant by the 
biting of the lip to convey the idea of resolution and 
energy. But that is an action intended to restrain 
expression, to suppress an angry emotion which is rising 
in the breast ; and if it be permitted, even in caricature, 
it must be as a sign of some trifling inconvenience, 
never of heroism. It is not suitable to the vigorous 
tone which should pervade the whole frame. That 
vigour cannot be otherwise represented, than by the 
excitement of the breast, lips, and nostrils, while the 
posture and the eyes give it a directiott and meaning. 
This is all destroyed by an expression so weak and 
inconsistent as biting the lip ; it is vulgar, not 
because it is common, but because it is a trick, and 
not true to nature. 

The " Dying Gladiator " is one of those masterpieces 
of antiquity which exhibits a knowledge of anatomy 
and of man's nature. He is not resting; he is not 
falling ; but in the position of one wounded in the chest 
and seeking relief in that anxious and oppressed breath- 
ing which attends a mortal wound vrith loss of blood. 
He seeks support to his arms, not to rest them or to 
sustain the body, but to fix them, that their action may 
be transferred to the chest, and thus assist the labouring 
respiration. The natiire of his suiferings leads to this 
attitude. In a man expiring from loss of blood, as the 
vital stream flows, the heart and lungs have the same 
painful feeling of want, which is produced by obstruc- 
tion to the breathing. As the blood is draining from 
him, he pants, and looks wild, and the chest heaves 
convulsively. And so the ancient artist has placed 
this statue in the posture of one who suffers the 
extremity of difficult respiration. The fixed condition 
of the shoulders, as he sustains his sinking body, shews 
that the powerful muscles, common to the ribs and 
arras, have their ac'bioQ concentrated to th3 ftniggling 



EXPRESSION IK EEFEKENCE TO THE BODY. 177 
chest. In the same way does a man afflicted with 




asthma rest his hands or his elhows upon a table, 
stooping forwards, that the shoulders may become 



178 EXPKESSION IN EEFEEENCE TO THE BODY. 

fixed points ; the muscles of the arm and shoulder 
then act as muscles of respiration, and aid in the 
motion of the chest, during the heaving and anxiety 
which helong to the disease. 

When a man is mortally wounded, and still more 
if he he bleeding to death as the gladiator, he presents 
the appearance of suffocation ; for the want is felt in 
the breast, and relief is sought in the heaving of the 
chest. If he have at that moment the sympathy and 
aid of a friend, he will cling to him, half raising 
himself and twisting his chest with the utmost exertion ; 
and while every muscle of the trimk stands out abrupt 
and prominent, those of the neck and throat, and 
nostrils and mouth, will partake the excitement. In this 
condition he will remain fixed, and then fall exhausted 
with the exertion ; it is in the moment of the chest 
sinking, that the voice of suffering may be heard. If 
he have fallen on the turf, it is not from pain, but from 
that indescribable agony of want and instinctive 
struggling, that the grass around the lifeless body is 
lodged and torn. 

So too with the actor. In order to convey to the 
spectator the idea of human nature agitated by passion or 
suffering, he must study how the parts of the frame are 
imited and co-operate in expression. Of the success of 
such an effort we had lately an example on our own stage. 
It was in witnessing the struggles of a man who had 
received the mortal thrust, and the representation was 
horribly correct. The actor having rubbed the paint 
from his face, presented a hollow cheek, with the 
countenance haggard and pale; but it was the 
heaving of the shoulders attending his deep and 
painful inspiration, — his difficult utterance, — the 
gurgling of his voice, as if the blood impeded the 
breath, which made altogether a most powerfully 
drawn representation of violent death. Even those 



EXPRESSION IN EKFEBENOE TO THE BODY. 179 

who knew nothing of the cause of their being moved 
felt that it was correct. 

But let us take a less appalling instance of the 
consent of the frame with the functions of the heart 
and lungs. It is this connexion between the muscles of 
the chest and arms which makes a little man oppressed 
by obesity speak with abrupt gesticulation. His 
emphatic words are forced out in barking tones 
accompanied by jerks and twists of the arms, the 
reverse of grace; while a tall and ungainly person 
exhibits an awkwardness of an opposite kind, in a 
disjointed swing of his arms during the efforts of his 
elocution. 

Are we not now authorised to say, that expression is to 
passion what language is to thought : that as without I 
words to represent ideas, the reasoning faculties of man ' 
oould not be fully exercised, so there could be no 
violence or excess of passion merely in the mind, and 
independent of the action of the body ? As our thoughts 
are embodied and the reasoning powers developed by 
the instrument of speech, the passions or emotions have 
also a corresponding organ to give them a determined (^ 
character and force. The bodily frame, though second- 
ary and inferior, comes in aid of the mind; and the 
faculties owe their development as much to the operation 
of the instruments of expression as to the impressions 
of the outward senses. 

It is also curious that expression appears to precede 
the intellectual operations. The smile that dimples an 
infant's cheek, which in after-years corresponds with 
pleasurable and complex emotions, cannot have its 
origin from such ideas. This expression is not first 
seen when the infant is awake, but oftener while asleep; 
and this first beam of pleasure to a mother's eye is met 
with the cold observation of the wise old women, that 

K 2 



180 EXPRESSION IN EEFEEENCE TO THE BODY. 

it is caused by some internal convulsion. They con- 
clude that the child's intellects are not yet matured to 
correspond with the expression, and attribute the effect 
to some internal irritation. The expression is in fact 
the spontaneous operation and classification of the 
muscles, which await the development of the faculties 
to accompany them closely when they do arise, and 
in some measure to control them during life. It 
may be too much to affirm, that without the co- 
operation of these organs of the frame the mind would 
remain a blank ; but surely the mind must owe 
something to its connexion with an operation of the 
features which precedes its own conscious activity, 
and which is unerring in its exercise from the very 
commencement. 

The expression of pain in an infant is extraordinary*^ 
in force and caricature ; the expression of laughter is 
pure in the highest possible degree, as indicating 
unalloyed pleasure, and it will relax by sympathy even 
the stubborn features of a stranger. Here the 
rudiments of expression ought to be studied, for in 
after-life they cease to have the pure and simple source 
from which they spring in infancy; the feelings are 
composed and restrained, the mind is in a state of more 
compound feeling, and the genuine characteristics of 
passion are to be seen only in unpremeditated bursts 
of great vehemence. 

How much influence the instrument of expression 
has in first rousing the mind into that state of activity 
which we call passion or emotion, we may learn from 
the power of the body to control these afiections. '" I 
have often observed," says Burke, " that on mimicking 
the looks and gestures of angry, or placid, or frightened, 
or daring men, I have involuntarily found my mind 
turned to that passion whose appearance I endeavoured 
to imitate." 



EXPEESSION IN EEFEEENCE TO THE BODY. 181 

Whether it be possible to mould the body, and thus 
K steal into another's thoughts, I know not ; but it is of 
Eaore consequence to recollect that we may in this way 
ascertain our own. As the actions and expressions of 
the body betray the emotions of the heart, we may be 
startled and forewarned, as it were, by the reflection of 
ourselves, and at the same time leam to control our 
passions by restraining their expression. 

As we hold our breath and throw ourselves into aa 
opposite action to restrain the ludicrous idea which 
would cause us to break out in rude laughter, so may 
we moderate other rising impulses, by checking the 
expression of them ; and by composing the body, we 
put a rein upon our very thoughts. The powers of 
language are so great, and minister in so superior a 
manner to reason and the higher faculties of the mind, 
that the language of expression, which attends the 
development of these powers, is in a manner superseded ; 
good taste and good manners retain it in habitual sub- 
crdination. We esteem and honour that man most who 
subdues the passions which directly refer to himself, 
and cultivates those which have their source in bene- 
volence — who resists his own gratification, and enters 
warmly by sympathy into what others feel — who 
despises direct pleasures, and cultivates those enjoyments 
in which he participates with others. " Whatever is 
morally just is beautiful in art ;" the expression of pain, 
proceeding from the mere suffering of the body, is 
repulsive in representation, while the heroic pangs 
which the artist may raise to the highest degree of 
expression, in compassion or sympathy with another's 
sufferings, cannot be too powerfully portrayed, if they 
be consistent with nature and truth. 

In studying expression the artist should attempt all, 
even that which is disagreeable, so that in higher com- 
position he may avoid deformity and every debasing 



182 EXPCESSION IN EEPEHENCE TO THE BODY. 

expression, and this not by chance, but by knowing them 
and avoiding them ; by this means — and it was followed 
by the ancients — his power of representation will be 
improved, and what is dignified and beautiful in form 
and expression more certainly attained. 




( 183 ) 



ESSAY IX, 

or THE STUDY OF ANATOMY AS NECESSARY TO DKSION. 0» 
THE IDEAL, IN THE EBPEESENTATION OF THE BODY. OF 
THE GENIUS AND STUDIES OF MICHAEL ANGELO BUONA- 
KOTTI. 

Were I to attempt a definition of tlie ideal in the repre- 
sentation of the body, or of the head and face, I should 
adopt, as the most harmless to the sculptor or painter, 
that which has been given by Oicognara. " The ideal 
in art," says he, " is nothing more than the imitation of 
an object as it ought to be in perfect nature, divested of 
the errors or distortions which secondary causes produce." 
He takes for granted that man, like every thing else, 
has degenerated from the original design of nature, and 
" that we ought to endeavour to present his form as 
when he rose a newly-created being, before misery and 
famine, cold or excess of heat, had influence upon his 
frame. To accomplish this, the artist has to contemplate 
those acknowledged beauties in the Venus, in the youthful 
Apollo, in the vigorous Athlet8B,.and in the Hercules. 
From such sources he must select the perfect forms, 
which are now to be found no longer in nature, and 
recompose them into a beautiful whole." 

This is at least intelligible, and, to a certain degree 
practicable. It divests the subject of that mystery 
•which those throw over it who would persuade the artist 
that to represent perfection of form, he must avoid what 
is human, and retain what is divine. 



184 OF DESIGW. 

But, when this is attained, and the drawing of the 
figure is unobjectionable, a higher object still is to be^ 
found, in a deeper meditation on human nature. Senti- 
ment and expression may be impressed on the figure, 
as on the face ; but they must be made appropriate to 
their situation. Some of the most beautiful remains of 
Grecian art, when deposited in churches, appear out of 
place ; while, in the same situation, the statues of Michael 
Angelo seem perfectly congenial. The noble forms and 
grave attitudes of his statues, in the sombre light of the 
aisles, lead memory back to all that is great in times 
gone by. Those magnificent designs have the effect 
of a passage in the historian or the poet, when the 
reader closes the book to indulge in the associations 
of ideas which have been awakened. But, were they 
placed in a gallery or saloon, they might with more 
propriety be subjected to the flippant criticisms which 
they have met with. 

Individuals, as well as nations, have different manners 
of representing the same objects, — the human figure, 
for example. The Egyptians, the Greeks, the people 
of Hiudostan, or of Europe, will raise a monument 
with more marked peculiarities than are seen even in 
the designs of Michael Angelo, Correggio, and Eaphael ; 
care, therefore, should be taken to give full scope to dif- 
ferent dispositions, capacities, or tastes. I cannot help 
saying, that the method of study in the academies tends 
to cramp the efforts of genius. In the Academy of 
Bologna I found the students copying from the plaster- 
casts, as our youths do at home ; and if some means be 
not afforded to encourage individual genius, tameness 
and mediocrity must be the result. I think the remedy 
is to be found in the study of anatomy. 

There has been much unnecessary ingenuity exercised 
on the question whether the ancients studied anatomy. 
Undoubtedly they did not study it in our fashion ; yet 



OP DESIGN, 185 

that they possossed all the knowledge of it -which art 
requires, cannot be denied. The liner specimens of 
ancient statuary evince a more perfect acquaintance 
with anatomy, as far as it ijs shewn in the propor- 
tions, general forms, and action of the body, than 
the productions of those modem sculptors and painters 
who have pursued this art with the greatest zeal and 
success,— even than Michael Angelo, himself. The 
only question therefore is, how they acquired this 
knowledge. 

Although in Greece the dead were burned, and no 
artists dissected the human body, yet they certainly had 
the means of learning the nature of a bone, muscle, and 
tendon. No more was necessary; the rest was before 
them. Fine as their athletae were in youth, they were 
subject to the decay of age. Now, in comparing the 
frame of a man advanced in years, especially if in 
early life he had been remarkable for "thews and 
sinews," with the young and active, everything essential 
to the painter and the sculptor may be observed. If the 
Greeks had before them the most admired forms of youth 
and manhood, they had also the " time honoured wrest- 
ler," who in old age exhibited, almost as in the dead 
anatomy, every muscle, origin and insertion, every ten- 
don, and every vein. I know how far this manner of 
demonstrating the anatomy may be carried. Having 
in my lectures on surgery taken the living man, the 
academy model, to illustrate the practice in fractures 
and dislocations, I was accustomed to introduce a 
powerful muscular fellow to my class, with this ap- 
peal : — " In the exercise of your profession you have to 
judge of the displacement of the Hmbs, and the joints 
disfigured by dislocation, fractures, or tumour ; but not 
one of you, perhaps, has ever looked on the natural 
body itself." In giving these lessons, I became aware 
how much of the structure of the muscles and 



186 OF THE GENIDS AND STUDIES Of 

irticulations might he demonstrated without actual 
dissection 

In the heat of the southern countries of Europe, the 
workmen, the Galeotti, or men condemned to the puhlic 
works, the young people and children, are all accustomed 
to a state of nudity ; the naked form becomes, therefore, 
familiar to the eye. 

In the same day 1 made careful examinations of the 
anatomical studies of Michael Angelo, in the collection 
of the Grand Duke of Florence, and compared them 
with his noble works in the tombs of the Medici. I 
observed that he had avoided the error of artists of less 
genius, who, in shewing their learning, deviate from 
living nature. I recognised the utmost accuracy of 
anatomy in the great artist's studies ; in his pen-and- 
ink sketches of the knee, for example, every point of 
bone, muscle, tendon, and ligament was marked, and 
perhaps a little exaggerated. But on surveying the 
limbs of those fine statues, this peculiarity was not 
visible ; there were none of the details of the anatomy, 
but only the effects of muscular action, as seen in life, 
not the muscles. As, perhaps, this is the most im- 
portant lesson which can be given to the artist, I 
shall venture to transcribe the notes I made at the 
time. 

" The statue of Lorenzo di Medici, Duca d'Urbino, 
by Michael Angelo, is in the Capella di Principi, of 
the church of St. Lorenzo. Under the statue are two 
figures, one of Twilight, the other of Daybreak. I 
observed in the male figure, which is of very grand 
proportions, the clavicle or collar-bone, the head of the 
humerus, the deltoid and pectoral muscles develcpei 
beyond nature, yet singularly true in the anatomy 
Such a shoulder was never seen in man, yet so finely ia 
it imagined, that no one part is unduly exaggerated ; but 
aU is magnified with so perfect a knowledge, that it is 



THE ANCIENT AETISTS. 187 

just as a wliole, the bone and the imisole corresponding 
in their proportions. In the same chapel are the statues 
of Giuliano di Medici, Duke of Nemours, and brother 
of Leo X., with the recumbent figures of Day and Night. 
It is in these finely-conceived figures that we have the 
proof of Michael Angelo's genius. They may not have 
the perfect purity and truth that we see in the antique ; 
but there is a magnificence, which belongs to him alone. 
Here we see the efiect of muscular action, without 
affected display of anatomical knowledge. The back 
IS marvellously fine. The position of the scapula, for 
example, makes its lower angle throw up the edge of 
the latissimus dorsi, for the scapula is forced back upon 
the spine, in consequence of the position of the arm. 
Michael Angelo must have carefully studied the ana- 
tomy in reference to the changes produced in the living 
body by the action of its members : the shifting of the 
scapula, with the consequent rising of the mass of 
muscles, some in action, some merely pushed into masses, 
are very finely shewn." * 

Having just come from observing his sketches of the 
anatomy of the knee-joint, I was curious in my observa- 
tion of the manner in which he made his knowledge 
available in the joints of these fine statues ; and they 
gave rise to the following remarks. 

"If an artist, with a knowledge of the structure, 
look upon the knee in a bent positio'n, he will recognise 
the different bones and ligaments. But if he look upon 
it in an extended position of the limb, or during exer- 
tion, he will not distinguish the same parts. The 
contour, the swelling of the integument, and the fulness 
around the joint, are not produced by the -forms of the 
bones, but by the rising up of the parts displaced by 

* I might make similar remarks on the statue by John of 
Bologna — Januarius sitting, shivering under a shower, in a 
fountain in the Villa-Petraia, near Florence. 



188 ON THE GENIUS AND STUDIES OF 

the new position of the bones. The fatty cusliions 
which are within and external to the knee-joint, and 
which serve the purpose of friction-wheels in. the play 
of the bones upon each other, no longer occupy the 
same relative places; they are protruded from the 
depth of the cavity to the surface. How well Michael 
Angelo knew this these statues of Day and Night 
evince. 

" In these statues, great feeling of art and genius 
of the highest order have been exhibited; anatomical 
science, ideal beauty, or rather grandeur, combined. 
It is often said that Michael Angelo studied the Belvi- 
ere Torso, and that he kept it continually in his eye. 
That fine specimen of ancient art may have been the 
authority for his grand development of the human 
muscles ; but it did not convey to him the effect which 
he produced by the throwing out of those magnifi.cent 
and giant limbs. Here we see the vigour of this 
sculptor's stroke and the firmness of his touch, as well 
as his sublime conception of the human figure. We 
can imagine that he wrought by no measure or me 
chanical contrivance ; that he hewed out the marble as 
another would cast together his mass of clay in a first 
sketch. Many of his finest works are left unfinished ; 
it appears that he found the block of marble in some 
instances too small, and left the design incomplete.* 

* There Is one unfinished production of Michael Angelo -which 
discloses his manner of working ; a statue of St. Matthew, begun 
on a block of marble, so small, that it appears to have restrained 
him. The figure is distorted, and he seems to have given up the 
work before it was more than blocked out of the marl)le A 
contemporary gives an interesting account of the energy which 
possessed him -while at work. " I have seen Michael Angelo, when 
above sixty, and not very robust, make more fragments of the 
marble fly off in a quarter of an hour than three vigorous young 
sculptors would have done in an hour; and he worked with so 
much impetuosity, and put such strength into hia blows, that I 
feared he would have broken the whole in pieces, for portions, the 
(ize of three or four finfmri wnie struck off so near to the coutoui 



MICHAEL ANGELO BDONAROTTI. 189 

For my own part I feel that the finish and smoothneBS 
of the marble is hardly consistent with the vigour of 
IVlichael Angelo's conceptions ; and I should regret to 
think that such a genius should have wasted an hour 
in giving softness or polish to the surface. 

" Who is there, modem or ancient, that would thus 
voluntarily encounter all the difficulties of the art 
and throw the human hody into this position, or who 
could throw the shoulder into this violent distortion, 
and yet preserve the relations of the parts, of hone and 
muscle, with such scientific exactness? We have in 
this great master a proof of the manner in which 
genius submits to labour, in order to attain perfection. 
He must have undergone the severe toil of the ana- 
tomist, to acquire such a power of design, which it was 
hardly to be supposed could be sufficiently appreciated 
then or now. 

" Without denying the beauty or correctness of the 
true Grecian productions of the chisel, they ought not 
to be contrasted with the works of Michael Angelo to 
his disadvantage. He had a noble conception of the 
august form of man : to my thinking, superior to any- 
thing exhibited in ancient sculpture. Visconti * im- 
putes inferiority to Buonarotti; and to confirm his 
views, compares the antique statues restored by him, 
with the limbs and heads which he added. But I can 
conceive nothing less suited to the genius of the artist 
than this task of modelling and adjusting a limb in a 
different position from that which is entire, and yet so 
as to preserve the proportions and .character of the 
whole. The manner of his working and the urgency 
of his genius for an unrestrained field of exertion, 



or outline, that, if he erred by a hair's-breadth, he would have 
spoiled all and lost his labour, since the defect could not have been 
remedied as in working in clay." — Blaise de Yigenere, 
* Museo Pio. Clem. 



190 STUDIES OF MICHAEL ANGELO BUONAEOTTI. 

unfitted him for that kind of labour, while it is a 
matter of necessity, that a copy shall be inferior to an 
original. 

" What the figures of Night and Morning had to do 
before the degenerate son of the Medici is another 
matter. They seem to have been placed there as mere 
ornaments, and in the luxury of talent, to give the 
form and posture of the human figure, 'per ornamento e 
per solo spoggio di giacitura e de' forme.' 

" When in Eome I was impatient until I stood 
before the statue of Moses, so much had been said 
of its extraordinary merit,* and also so much of its 
defects.! It is a noble figure, with all the energy 
of Buonarotti displayed in it. It is not the ana- 
tomy alone which constitutes its perfection; but 
there is the same mind displayed in the attitude, the 
habiliment, the beard, and all the accompaniments, 
as in the vigour of the naked shoulders and arms. 
It is the realisation of his high conception of the 
human figure. 

" My brother, in his ' Observations on Italy,' finds 
fault with the arm, and, perhaps, looking in one 
direction, it may be imperfect ; but this was one of 
many figures which were intended by the artist to 
ornament the great monument to Julius II. ; and, 
consequently, designed to be seen only in a cert-ain 
aspect.| Besides, we ought rather to teach ourselves to 
admire what is esteemed excellent than to seek for 
defects. As to other criticisms on this statue, it should 
be remembered that it is an ideal figure as much as the 
Apollo or the Jupiter. From whatever notion derived, 
Moses is represented with horns rising from his temples ; 

* " Questo e Mosfe quando soenda del monte 
E gran parte del Nume avea nel volto." 
t " E una testa da satiro con oapelli di poroo." 
t See the account of this great work in the "Storia della 
Boultura," by Cicognara. 



ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE MUSCLES. 191 

an adjunct whicli, placed either on tlie face of the 
antique or of common nature, would have heen truly 
ridiculous." 

To resume the subject of anatomy; we may take the 
opinion of Vasari : * in addition to the study of the an- 
tique he recommends the frequent examination of the 
naked figure, of the action of the muscles of the back 
and limbs, and the form and play of the joints ; and 
takes occasion to advise the study of the dissected body, 
in order to see the true position of the muscles, theii 
classification and insertions ; so that by perfect know- 
ledge of the structure the artist may with more secu- 
rity represent the figure in every varying attitude, 
bestowing, through a knowledge of their action, the 
proper swelling and contour of the muscles, according 
to their position and the force exerted ; and from this, 
he truly observes, comes the power of invention, giving 
natural variety to the figures, as in the representation 
of a battle or great historical work. 

And here I cannot help expressing a belief that, as 
it is necessary that the young artist should have an 
accurate eye to form, the drawing of the bones should 
be substituted for what is called the "round," that 
is, the fine indefinite and undulating surface of the 
antique. By drawing the curious shapes of the thigh- 
bone or tibia, he will sooner acquire a notion of external 
form than if set to draw a foot and ankle, or knee 
without an idea of what produces the convexities which 
he is tracing. Drawing from the bones and from the 
skeleton will give him a desire for learning more, and 
afford an introduction to the classification and insertions 
of the muscles, with perfect ease in representing, either 
from nature or the antique, the slightly defined forms 
ii the joints. 

But, as we have seen in the works of the masters, let 
» I2 his Pretiioe, " Da che habbia origine U buon disegno." 



192 ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE MUSCLES. 

him avoid exhibiting the anatomy or displaying his 
knowledge, else he will fall into the caricature of 
I'useli, instead of attaining the vigour of Buona- 
rotti. Anatomy is not to be displayed, but its true 
use is to beget an accurate observation of na'ure 
in those slighter characteristics which escape a less 
learned eye. 




( 193 ) 



ESSAY X. 

OSES OF ANATOMY TO THE PAINTER — FAULTS INTO WHICH 
ARTISTS MAT BE BETRAYED IN STUDYING THE ANTIQUE 
OR IN DRAWING FROM THE ACADEMY FIGURE — ANAT0M7 

AS coNDaoriNG to truth of expression and of cha- 
racter. 

It is interesting in a very high degree to mark the 
traits of emotion, and to compare them with the 
anatomical structure ; and amidst the severer studies of 
anatomy, as connected with health and disease, I have 
been able, without departing too far from professional 
pursuits and duties, to pass many pleasant hours in 
observing and investigating the anatomy of expression. 
In the prosecution of anatomy we never know to what 
results it may lead. The observations I have made on 
the nervous system might be traced to investigations , 
on the present subject. I saw that the whole frame is 
affected sympathetically with expression in the coun- 
tenance ; and it was in trying to explain that sympathy, 
that I was led to ascertain, that there exists in the body 
a distinct system of nerves, the office of which is to 
influence the muscles in Eespiration, in Speech, and in 
Expression. 

The study of the animal frame, as it is affected by 
emotion and passion, is nearly related to philosophy, 
and is a subject of great difficulty and delicacy. The 
question is often discussed, of what use is anatomy to 
tixe painter ? The study of anatomy has been objected 
to by some persons of pure taste, and from the belief 





194 USES OF ANATOMY TO THE PAINTER. 

that it leads to the representation of the lineaments of 
death more than of life, or to monstrous exaggerations 
of forms. So far this is the case, when an artist 
without natural talent, or right feeling, will rather 
exhibit the bones or muscles than the fine forms of 
health and vigour. But we return to the question, 
what are the advantages to be gained from this study 
by the artist ? As we may define anatomy to be the 
examination of that structure by which the mind 
expre.=ses emotion, and through which the emotions are 
controlled and modified, it introduces us to the know- 
ledge of the relations and mutual influences which exist 
between the mind and the body. To the painter, 
therefore, the study is necessarily one of great import- 
ance ; it does not teach him to use his pencil, but it 
teaches him to observe nature, to see forms in their 
minute varieties, which but for the principles here 
elucidated would pass unnoticed, — to catch expressions 
so evanescent that they must escape him, did he not 
know their sources. It is this reducing of things to 
their principles which elevates his art into a connexion 
with philosophy, and which gives it the character of a 
liberal art. 

By anatomy in its relation to the arts of design, 1 
understand not merely the study of the individual and 
dissected muscles of the face, or body, or limbs, — but 
the observation of all the characteristic varieties which 
distinguish the frame of the body or countenance. A 
knowledge of the peculiarities of infancy, youth, or age ; 
of sickness or robust health ; or of the contrasts between 
manly and muscular strength and feminine delicacy ; 
Dr of the appearances which pain or death present, 
belongs to its province as much as the study of the 
muscles of the face when affected m emotion. Viewed 
in this comprehensive light, anatomy forms a science, 
not only of great interest, but one which will be sure to 



USES OF ANATOMY TO THE PAINTER. 195 

give the artist a true spirit of observation, teacli him to 
distinguish what is essential to just expression, and 
direct his attention to appearances on which the effect 
and force, as well as the delicacy of his delineations, 
will bo found to depend. 

Among the errors into which a young artist is most 
likel3' to be seduced, there are two against which the 
study of anatomy seems well calculated to guard him. 
The one is a blind and indiscriminate imitation of the 
antique ; the other, an idea that he will find in the 
academy figure a sure guide for delineating the natural 
and true anatomy of the living body. He who makes 
imitation of the antique the beginning and end of his 
studies, instead of adopting it as a corrective of his 
taste, will be apt to fall into a tame and lifeless style ; 
and, in pursuing ideal beauty, will be in danger of 
renouncing truth of expression and of character. Nay, 
I suspect that many painters have copied casts of the 
antique for years, without perfectly understanding 
what they should imitate, or even perceiving the neces- 
sity of previously studying the design of the artist, oi 
the peculiarities of his mode of composition. Into this 
fault, one who is learned in the science and anatomy of 
painting can never fall. But he who has- not compared 
the natural with the antique head, nor imderstood the 
characteristic differences, nor studied the principle on 
which the ancient artists composed, may be betrayed 
into the grossest misconceptions, by too implicitly 
following their models. In painting a hero, for ex- 
ample, on whom the Greek artist would have bestowed 
a character of strength and grandeur, by bold anatomy 
and expression, he may be following the ideal form of a 
deity inwhich the sculptor had studiously divested hia 
model of all that might seem to pertain to humanity. 
As I have before remarked, the ancient sculptor, in 
accordance with the mythology of his country and the 

2 



196 PSES OF ANATOMY TO THE PAINTER. 

spirit of her poetry, studied to shew the attributes of 
divinity in the repose of the figure, without any indi- 
.cation of muscles or veins, and hy a face stamped with 
the mild serenity of a being superior to human passion ; 
thus shadowing out a state of existence, in which the 
will possessed freedom and activity, without the ac- 
companying exertion of the bodily frame. But those 
ideal forms are scarcely ever to be transferred to the 
representation of the human body ; and a modem artist 
who follows indiscriminately such models, misapplies 
the noblest lessons of his art. 

Independently of the ideal form of divinity, there are 
also some peculiarities in the nature of the ancient 
sculpture which ought to be well considered by the 
student in modern painting. 

In the infancy of their art, sculptors did not venture 
to give to their figures either animation or character; 
they did not even open their eyelids, or raise the arm 
from the side. A stillness and simplicity of composition 
were thus the characteristics of ancient sculpture ; and 
we are told that Perijjles, even in the best period of 
Grecian art, was anxious that his pupils should preserve 
this feature of the early ages in all their works, as 
essential to grandeur. The pleasure of being carried 
back to old times seems to be a part of our nature, or, 
at least, of the cultivated mind. So Pliny speaks of 
retaining in everything about a villa its ancient sim- 
plicity. It is observed accordingly, that among the 
exrcllencies which distinguish the Greek artists, the 
first and most admirable is that gravity of style, — that 
sedate grandeur of expression, and prevailing tranquillity 
of soul which still appear under the most terribl agita- 
tion and passion. Upon this chaste model the taste in 
sculpture was formed in the better ages of Greece and 
Rome, and its influence has extended to modern times. 

Unfortunately this style of composition has boeL 



USES OF ANATOMY TO THE PAINTER. l[/7 

taken as an additional authority for rejecting powerful 
expression and character even from the canvass. But, 
we must never forget the distinction between sculpture 
and painting. The sculptor, indeed, as well as the 
painter, has often to represent what is not consistent 
with heauty ; while both must sometimes preserve 
an indefiniteness, and soften all the harsher, though 
strictly natural lines of expression. If the statues of 
Michael Angelo and John of Bologna were as familiar 
to us as the casts o£ the antique, they would probably 
modify the prevailing opinions on this subject. Still 
there is an essential difference between the principle 
of composition in painting and in sculpture. 

In the works of ancient artists we see a perpetual 
effort to exalt their productions above the commonness 
of nature. They studied a grand and general effect, 
avoiding the representation of minuteness or sharpness 
of feature, and of convulsions or distortions, however 
strictly natural ; and, indeed, it is scarcely consistent 
with the character of a statue to represent the transitory 
effects of violent passion. The sculptor must exercise ^^ 
his genius on the more sublime and permanent feelings, 
as characterised in the countenance and figure; and 
much of the difSculty of his art consists in preventing 
the repose which ought to be preserved in the attitude 
and expression, from extinguishing all character, and 
degenerating into tameness and indifference. 

It is repose, and not absence of expression, that is to 
be aimed at. The flashes of passion do not assort with 
the material, while the languor and the gloom of the 
features in grief are quite consistent with it. The 
slaves and mutes on the pedestal of a monumental 
statue may contribute to the effect; they are mere 
accessories, — as the frame to the picture. But this 
principle does not apply to the painter ; to trans'er to 
his art the rules of composition T-hich flow from the 



198 USES OP ANATOMY TO THE PAINTEE. 

study of ancient sculpture would endanger all in which 
it is most excellent. As his materials do not permit a 
close imitation of the actual forms of nature, a stronger, 
and more natural character is to be adopted on the 
canvass, than is proper to a statue. It is true, that he 
may often maintain much of the same gravity of style 
as the statuary, and that, in such compositions there 
may he a certain august majesty ; some suhjeots require 
this, and others only admit of it, provided the tone and 
principle of composition he preserved, and the colouring 
be low and sombre. In general, however, this is neither 
Decessary, nor perhaps suitable to a picture ; and it may 
DC at least laid down, that where there is bold light and 
vivid colouring, there should also be strong expression, 
and bold characteristic drawing. A painting, with high 
finishing and bright colouring, demands minute ex- 
pression, because the same circumstances which display 
the natural colour, bring out a clear disclosure of the 
parts, and a sharpness of expression in the features. 

Thus the painter must study the traits of human 
expression. The noblest aim of painting is unquestion- 
ably to affect the mind, which can only be done by the 
representation of sentiment and passion, — of emotion as 
indicated by the figure and the countenance. But if it 
be contended that an imposing stillness and tranquillity 
must pervade the higher subjects of painting, I venture 
to affirm that it is a tranquillity which he can never 
attain who is not capable of representing all the violence 
and agitation of passion. It is not such repose as 
the artist who has despised or neglected natural cha- 
racter may be able to represent, but such as he alone 
can conceive and execute, who has studied all the 
variety of expression, and learned the anatomy of the 
face and limbs in their most violent action. Nay, 
tranquillity or repose in the strict sense of the words, 
can only be truly represented by one who can with 



USES OF ANATOMY TO THE PAINTER. 199 

equal facility give energy to the features and figure ; 
for in rest there must be character, and thai character 
will best be expressed by him who has studied the 
effect of the action of the muscles. It ought also to be 
remembered that repose and agitation must ever greatly 
depend on contrast and opposition. There are few 
grand subjects in history or mythology, in which the 
tranquillity and higher beauty of expression in the 
main figure does not borrow some aid from the contrast 
of the harsher features, more marked characters, and 
more passionate gestures of the surrounding groups. 

Perhaps I have sufficiently pointed out how dangerous 
it is for one who aims at excelling as a painter to imi- 
tate too closely and indiscriminately the productions of 
ancient sculpture. But it is natural for the student to 
believe that the study of the academy figure may serve 
as a guard against all such danger ; and aiford him a sure 
criterion for judging of the anatomy of his figures. 

Where is the artist to find the principles of his art 
■when he desires to express mental suffering under all 
those influences which form the subjects of design in 
the higher departments of art, and especially in historical 
painting ; is he to grimace at himself in a mirror ? — 
then he falls into caricature : is he to study the 
expression of the actor? — then he represents what is 
fantastic and theatrical. For what may be correct 
representation on the stage is not correct in painting, 
any more than it would be correct for the tragedian to 
display on the stage those traits of expression with which 
the physician is alone supposed to be familiar. Powers 
of observation, cultivated by good taste, lead us to dis- 
tinguish what is appropriate. The physician in study- 
ing symptoms, the actor in personifying suffering, the 
painter in representing it, or the statuary in embodying 
it in marble, are observers of nature ; but each sees her 
differently, and with a feeling influenced by his pursuit. 



200 USES OF ANATOMY TO THE PAINTER. 

The study of the academy figure is, undoubtedly, essen- 
tial ; but unless followed with some regard to science, 
it necessarily leads to error. In the first place, it can 
give no aid in reference to the countenance. Here 
the lessons of anatomy, associated with the descrip- 
tions of the great poets, and the study of the works 
of eminent painters and sculptors, afford the only re- 
source, But even for attaining a correct knowledge of 
the body and limbs, the academy figure is far from being 
an infallible guide. The display of muscular action in 
the human figure is but momentary, and cannot be 
retained and fixed for the imitation of the artist. The 
effect produced upon the surface of the body and limbs 
by the action of the muscles —the swelling and receding 
of the fleshy parts, and that starting out of the sinews 
or tendons, which accompany exertion or change of 
posture, cannot be observed with sufficient accuracy, 
unless the artist is able to class the muscles engaged in 
the action ; and he requires some other guide to enable 
him to recollect these varying forms, than that which 
is afforded by a transitory view of them. 

When the academy figure first strips himself, there is 
a symmetry and accordance in all the limbs ; but when 
screwed up into a posture, they indicate constraint and 
want of balance. It cannot be supposed that when 
a man has the support of ropes to preserve him in a 
position of exertion, the same action of muscles can be 
displayed as if the limbs were supported by their own 
efforts ; hence in all academy drawings we may perceive 
something wrong from the ropes not being represented 
along with the figure. In natural action there is a 
consent and symmetry in every part. When a man 
clenches his fist in passion, the other arm does not lie 
in elegant relaxation ; when the face is stem and 
vindictive, there is energj- in the whole frame ; when a 
man rises from his seat in impassioned gesture, a certain 
tension and straining pervades every limb and featura 



USES OF ANATOMY TO THE PAINTER. 201 

This universal state of the body it is difficult to excite 
in those who are accustomed to sit to painters ; they 
watch his eye, and where they see him intent, they 
exert the muscles. The painter, therefore, cannot 
trust to the man throwing himself into a natural 
posture ; he must direct him, and be himself able to 
catch, as it were intuitivety, what is natural and 
reject what is constrained. Besides, those soldiers and 
mechanics who are employed as academy figures are 
often awkward and unwieldly ; hard labour, or the stiff 
habits of military training, have impaired the natural 
and easy motion of their joints. 

Until the artist has gained a perfect knowledge of the 
muscles, and is able to represent them in action without 
losing the general balance of the figure, he is apt to 
produce an appearance like spasm or cramp in the limbs, 
from one part being in action, while the other is in 
repose. For it is always to be remembered, that whether 
the body be alive or dead, whether the limbs be in action 
or relaxed in sleep, an uniform character must pervade 
the composition. Whether the gently undulating line 
of relaxed muscle be the p];evailing outline, or the parts 
be large and strong, and the muscles prominent, bold and 
turgid, there must be perfect accordance, or there will 
be no truth of expression. 

I think, that in the sketches, and even in the finished 
paintings of some artists, I have observed the effect of 
continuing to draw from the model or from the naked 
figure, without due attention to the regulated action of 
the muscles. I have seen paintings, where the grouping 
was excellent and the proportions exact, yet the figures 
stood in attitudes when they were meant to be in 
action ; they were fixed as statues, and communicated 
to the spectator no idea of exertion or of motion. This 
sometimes proceeds, I have no doubt, from a long- 
oontinned contemplation of the antique, but more fre- 
quently from drawing after the stUl and spiritlesa 



202 USES OF ANATOMY TO THE PAINTEE. 

academy figure. The knowledge of anatomy is neces- 
Bary to correct this ; hut chiefly, a familiar acquaintance 
with the classification of the muscles, and the pecu- 
liarities and effect of their action. 

The true use of the living figure is this ; — after the 
artist has studied the structure of the bones and the 
groupings of the muscles, he should observe attentively 
the play of the muscles and tendons when the body is 
thrown into action and attitudes of violent exertion ; — 
he should especially mark their changes during the 
striking out of the limbs. By such a course of ob- 
servation he will soon be able to distinguish between 
posture and action, and to avoid that tameness which 
results from neglecting the effects of the alternate 
contraction and relaxation of the muscles. And with 
this view, after having learned to draw the figure, the 
painter would do well to make the model go through 
the exercise of pitching the bar, or throwing, or striking. 
1e will then find that it is chiefly when straining in a 
fixed posture that there is a general tension and equal 
prominence of the muscles ; and that in the free actions 
of the limbs, a few muscles only swell out, while their 
opponents are relaxed and flattened. He will not, 
perhaps, be able at once to catch the character of 
muscular expression, and commit it to paper ; but 
having an accurate knowledge of the muscles, according 
to their uses, ana the effect of each action in calling 
particular sets of them into activity, knowing to what 
points his observation should be applied, and how his 
preconceived notions are to be corrected by the actual 
appearance of the limb, each succeeding exhibition of 
muscular exertion will advance his progress in the 
delineation of the figure. Hence it may well be said, 
that anatomy is the true basis of the arts of design ; 
and it will infallibly lead those to perfection who, 
favoured with genius, can combine truth and simplicity 
with the higher graces and charms of the art. It 



USES OP ANATOMY TO THE PAINTEl!. 203 

bestows on the painter a minuteness and readii.ess of 
observation, which he cannot otherwise attain ; and I am 
persuaded, that while it enables him to give vigour 
to the whole form, it teaches hiin to represent niceties 
of expression, which would otherwise pass unnoticed. 

Even in drawing from a particular model, the artist 
versed in anatomy has a great superiority. When I have 
Been one unacquainted with the internal structure, 
drawing from the naked figure or from a statue, I have 
remarked the difficulty which he experienced in shewing 
the course of a swelling muscle or the slight depressions 
and convexities about a joint; and this difficulty might 
be traced to his ignorance of the relations and-actions 
of the muscles. The same perplexity he often feels in 
drawing the knobbed ends of the bones or the insertions 
of the tendons, at the articulations : for these parts 
being covered over by the integuments, and cushions of 
fat of variable thickness, and sheathed in membranes, 
are but faintly marked on the surface. The delicate 
and less definite indications of the anatomy, though 
easily traced by one acquainted with the structure of 
the limb, appear to the i;ninformed only unmeaning 
variations in the outline ; he has no means of judging 
their importance, and he is subject to continual mistakes 
in attempting to imitate them. 

Suppose that a young artist, not previously grounded 
in anatomy, is about to sketch a figure or a limb, his 
execution will be feeble, and he will commit many 
errors if he endeavour merely to copy what is placed 
before him — to transcribe, as it were, a language which 
he does not understand. He sees an undulating surface, 
with the bones and processes of the joints faintly 
marked; he neglects the peculiar swelling of the 
muscles, to which he should give force, as implying 
motion ; he makes roundings merely ; he is incapable of 
representing the elegant ciirved outline of beauty, with 
decision and accuracy, and of preserving at the same 



204 USES OF ANATOMY TO THE PAINTER. 

time tlie characters of living action. Drawing wLat he 
does not understand, he falls into tameness or deviates 
into caricature. 

But with a knowledge of anatomy, if he atl empt the 
same task, his acquaintance with the skeleton will 
enable him to make his first outline of the figure with 
truth and ease, and preserve its various proportions ; 
and the study of the muscles will enable him to give force 
to the muscular parts, and to represent the joints 
accurately without exaggeration. 

It is, however, in composing, much more than in 
copying, that this knowledge is truly useful Without 
it, all the original efforts of genius must be checked and 
repressed. Every change of posture is accompanied by 
muscular action, and in proportion to the painter's ignor- 
ance of the cause of those changes, all his designs will 
be cramped and resti ained. Leonardo da Vinci gives 
formally as a precept, what is self-evident to an ana- 
tomist ; " In naked figures, those members must show 
their muscles most distinctly and boldly, upon which the 
greatest stress is laid ; in comparison with which the 
rest must appear enervate.'' " Eemember, further, to 
make the muscles most visible on that side of any member 
which it puts forward to action." Such rules and precepts 
are rather the result of anatomical study than useful to 
one ignorant of the subject, in pointing out how effect is 
to be produced. It is not by following such recom- 
mendations that the end is to be accomplished, but by 
enriching the mind with frequent observation of the 
changes which are displayed by action, and forming 
rules for their reprejsentation. For example, in vigorous 
action there is a general tension of the whole frame ; 
but in order to produce a particular motion, a certain 
class of muscles is brought into stronger action than the 
rest ; and the nature of the motion is expressed by 
marking the arrangement of the muscles. If a man be 
merely pointing upwards, a graceful simplicity may be 



TJSTilS OF ANATOMY TO THE PAINTER. 205 

all that tlie painter can attain, or should attempt ; but 
if he is bringing down a heavy sword to make a blow, 
the muscles will start into strong exertion, and the 
idea of mighty action will be conveyed by repre- 
Bontiug those swelling muscles of the chest which pull 
down the arm and give the sweep to the whole body. 
Thus, to compose with truth and force, it is necessary 
that the painter should not only know the place and 
form of the bones and muscles, but that he should also 
have an accurate conception of the classing of the 
muscles in action.* 

Perhaps I may best convey my idea oi the advantage 
to be derived from this study, by contrasting two young 
artists drawing from a figure ; the one trusting to his 
untutored genius, the other assisted by a knowledge of 
anatomy. The first is seen copying bit by bit, and 

* " Socrates one day paid a visit to Clito, the statuary, and in 
the course of conversation said to liiin, ' We all know, Clito, that 
you execute a variety of figures ; some in the attitude of the race, 
and others in the several exercises of wrestling, of pugilism, and of 
the pancratium ; but with regard to the quality wljioli particularly 
captivates the soul of the spectator, — I mean their correct resem- 
blance to the life, — how is this property wrought into your pro- 
ductions ? ' As Clito hesitated for a reply, Socrates quickly rejoins, 
•Is it not by endeavouring to imitate the configuration of the 
bodies of those who are actually engafjed in those exertions of skill 
and activity that you succeed ? ' ' Without doubt,' said the artist. 
' Well, then,' resumed the philosopher, ' you study, under the various 
gestures and attitudes of the living body, what parts are drawn 
up out of their natural situation, or carritd in a contrary direction 
below it. Some which undergo compression, others an unnatural 
elevation; some which are thrown into a state of extension, others 
which become relaxed ; all this you imitate, and hence you produce 
that fidelity, that aci'uracy, which we admire.' The artist ac- 
quiesced in the remark. 'And the expression of the passions^ 
ai'ain, — how great a pleasure does this produce to the spectator ! 
' Surely,' replied Clito. ' Thus those who are in the actual conflict 
of the battle, are they not to be represented as bearing menaces in 
their eyes, while satisfaction and joy should sit upon the coun- 
tenances of the victorious ? ' ' Unquestionably.' ' It is then 
equally the business of the statuary to transfuse into his pro- 
ductions the workings and emotions of the miud.'" — Xbnophon; 
Memorabilia, Lib. iii. cftp. s. p. 6. 



206 USES OF ANATOMY TO THE PAINTER. 

measuring from point to point ; and tlie effect, aftol 
muoh labour, is an accurate outline. The other seizes 
the chief characters of the attitude with facility ; be- 
cause his knowledge of the skeleton has enabled him to 
balance the trunk upon the limbs, and give the con- 
tours boldly. The turn of the limbs, the masses of 
muscle, and the general forms of the joints, are touched 
with a slight but accurate hand, and the spirit and life 
of the original are recognised at once. Even in the 
early stage of his drawing, while his rival is copying 
parts, he will present the foundation of a correct and 
spirited sketch ; as he can convey the general idea by 
a few lines, he also excels in finishing the minute 
parts. 

Btit this superiority is still better shewn if the model 
be removed from these two young painters, and they 
draw the figure from recollection ; or if, keeping the 
model before them in its original posture, they are 
required to alter the attitude. Let us take for example 
the fighting gladiator. Instead of a young warrior 
pushing on with great energy, let their task be to 
represent him receiving the blow of his antagonist, 
which forces down his shield upon his breast, or brings 
him with his knee to the ground, as it is beautifully 
represented on some medals. Can we doubt for a mo- 
ment which will excel ? The one will copy from memorj'' 
his original drawing, or with great diificulty tvnst the 
erect limbs of the statue into a couching posture, while 
the other will gain by his greater freedom. Retaining 
the general air, like one who had understood what he 
copied, he is aware that a new class of muscles comes 
into action, while those formerly in exertion are relaxed ; 
he knows that the bending of the limbs increases their 
measurements ; he knows how to represent the joints in 
their new postures; in short, he gives to his figure 
energy and effect. 

It is a mistake to suppose that, because in manjr of 



USES OF ANATOMV TO THE PAINTEE. 207 

tbe finest pictures the anatomy is but faintly indioated, 
the study may not be necessary to a painter. Even 
that which in the finished picture is intended merely 
to give the idea of muscular exertion, should have its 
foundation laid in the sketch, by a correct and strong 
dravidng of the full action. It is true, that the sketch 
is too often a mere indication of the painter's design, 
intended to be worked up to the truth of representation 
as he transfers it to the canvas, — that the outlines of 
the figures are rather shadowy forms, undefined in their 
minute parts, than studies of anatomical expression, or 
as guides in the subsequent labour. And, perhaps, it 
is for this reason that there have been many painters, 
whose sketches all admire, but whose finished paintings 
fall short of public exiiectation. But a sketch that is 
without vigour, and in which the anatomy has not been 
defined, is a bad foundation for a good picture; and 
even a little exaggeration in this respect is not only 
agreeable, but highly useful. The anatomy should be 
strongly marked in the original design : and from the 
dead colouring to the finishing, its harshness and rugged- 
ness should be gradually softened into the modesty of 
nature. The character of a sketch is spirit and life ; 
the finished painting must combine smoothness and 
accuracy. That which was a harsh outline in the 
sketch, or the strong marking of a swelling muscle, or 
the crossing of a vein, will be indicated in the finished 
corapo.-.ition, perhaps only by a tinge of colour. The 
anatomy of the finished picture will always be most 
successful, and even most delicate, where the jjainter 
has a clear conception of .the course and swelling of 
each muscle and vein which enters into the delineation 
of the action. 

While artists neglect the study of anatomy, as con- 
nected with character and expression in painting, they 
never can attain the " vantage ground " of their pro- 
fession. Perhaps it is also to be feared, that while 



208 



USES OP ANATOMY TO THE PAINTER. 



only a few artists are versed in. this science, they ■will 
be apt to caricature nature ; they are learned ahove their 
rivals ; it is their forte, and they are solicitous to display 
it. But were the study of anatomy more general, the 
same spirit and love of originality, which tempt them to 
a style bordering on deformity, would make those very 
men seek distinction by combining grace, and the other 
qualities of fine painting, with truth and expression. 

It is not enough, however, that the painter should 
improve himself in the knowledge of anatomy : public 
attention must also be directed to its importance. For 
as necessity precedes invention in the origin of the 
arts, so must general good taste precede or accompany 
their improvement. The mere conviction in the mind 
of thg painter, that anatomy is essential to the per- 
fection of his art, will seldom be sufficient to insure his 
application to a very difficult and somewhat repulsive 
study. The knowledge and opinion of the public must 
force him to the task, and encourage his labour by the 
assurance of its merited reward. 




APPENDIX. 



THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, 



ALEXANDEK SHAW. 



In many parts of this work references are made to an Essay 
npon the Nervous System ; and the last edition contained such 
an essay. But. on examining the copy intended for the present 
edition, it was found that the author had drawn his pen through 
f.he essay, and had not composed another to supply its place. 
It cannot be doubted that he intended to reconstruct that part 
of the work; and as some account of his obsei-vations on the 
Nervous System, which boar upon the questions discussed in 
tlip volume, may be interesting, I have been requested to give a 
short review of his opinions. I enter upon the task with mucli 
diffideneo. 

It is stated, in various parts of the essays, that a distinct Class 
of Nerves is provided, in the human body, for controlling the 
organ of Respiration ; and that it is that class which is p]in- 
cipally affected by passion and emotion, so as to give rise to the 
phenomena of Expression. 

In Man, the organ of Breathing is constructed in such a i 
manner, that besides ministering to the oxygenation of the blood, 
its primary office in the economy, it is the instrument of Voice 
and of Expression, — two properties which bear relation to his 
Intellectual nature. In order to adapt the organ to these endow 

r 



210 OF THE NERVES. 

ments, it is necessary tliat the mechanism should have a form 
and arrangement distinct from that in the lower animals, where 
it serves for purifying the blood alone : and as a correspondence 
always exists between the structure of the moving parts of the 
frame, and the nervous system, which regulates their actions, 
the change in the construction of the organ is accompanied with 
a change in the arrangement of the nerves. .Accordingly, by 
comparing the nervous system in the inferior animals, with itH 
order and distribution in man, the author found that a distiuct 
class of nerves is appropriated, in the human frame, to the or^an 
of Respiration : and to that class he gave the name Respiratory 
Nerves. 

B\it that conclusion was not arrived at till many other impor- 
tant observations had been previously made on the functions of 
the Nervous System. Medical science has been indebted to the 
author of this volume for improvements in our knowledge of the 
Nerves, only to be compared, for their extent and value, with 
those introduced by Harvey, by his discovery of the Circulation 
of the Blood. Although no parts of the living body have excited 
greater interest, since anatomy was first studied, than the Brain 
and the Nerves ; yet when Sir Charles Bell entered upon his 
researches into the subject, he found it involved in so much 
confusion, and surrounded by so many difBculties apparently iu- 
surmountable, that physiologists had almost ceased to prosecute 
it. Errors on points which bore on the first elements of the 
inquiry, had taken deep root. He succeeded in removing these 
errors, and in establishing a new principle of investigation. By 
adopting that principle as his guide, he was rewarded not only by 
making discoveries of the utmost value to medicine, but by com- 
municating a fresh impulse to the laboius of other physiologi.'.ls 
in the same field. 

The error which formerly prevailed, and had the greatest 
effect in retarding improvement, was this : — It was taken for 
granted that all parts of the nervous system had certain general 
properties belonging to them in common ; so that all were 
considered alike in function. The Brain, including the Spinal 
Marrow, was looked upon as a common store, from which 
certain powers, such as that of motion, were issued to the body, 
and into which others, such as sensation, were received, the 
nerves being regarded as the conductors; and, in conformity 



or THE NEBVES. 211 

with that view, it was further supposed that any part ol' the 
brain, or any single nerve, had equal power with all the rest of 
bestowing the numerous properties commonly assigned to the 
nervous system. For the sake of illustration, let us take the 
nerves of the lower extremities ; which come off from the spinal 
marrow. It was conceived that these nerves were all simple 
in structure ; and that, nevertheless, they had the double pro- 
perty of conveying the power of motion and of sensation, to the 
limbs : and the spinal marrow, being regarded as a prolongation 
of the Brain, was believed to transmit tlie powers of motion and 
of sensation along the nerves, by all its parts promiscuously. 

Certain facts probably diverted the minds of physiologists 
from pei'ceiving the correct views. When we examine the 
structure of a Nerve, it is found to consist of a number of 
distinct fibrils, like threads, laid parallel, connected loosely 
together, and contained in a common sheath ; and when the 
fibrils are inspected narrowly it is impossible to perceive any 
difference between them ; all are exactly alike in size, colour, 
and consistence. This similarity of structure, it may be sup- 
posed, would lead, to the inference, that the functions of the 
fibrils were the same. Then, as to the Brain; although sub- 
divided into seveial masses of different forms and textures, 
which give the appearance at first sight of its being composed of 
separate organs, yet a remarkable unifonnity prevails in the 
general structure of the brain ; the distinct substances of which 
it consists (the medullary and cineritious) are so variously inter- 
mingled and diffused, that it seems unavoidable to conclude that 
its powers are held in common, and are exercised by a combined 
operation of all its component parts. Again, the phenomena of 
certain diseases and accidents would probablj' give strength to 
the mistaken views. When a person is wounded in the leg, and 
a principal nerve cut across, the lower part of the limb, isolated 
from the brain, is deprived both of motion and sensation. If 
the spinal marrow be crushed, or disorganised by disease, sc 
tliat the communication between the brain and the nerves 
beyond the seat of injury, is destroyed, total paralysis ensues, 
that is, the limbs lose both motion and sensation. When a 
man is struck down by apoplexy, owing, to sudden effusion of 
blood into the brain from a ruptured vessel, he is deprived in- 
stantaneously of both motion and Sensation, These occurrence^ 

p 2 



212 or THE NEKVTIS. 

n.;ef w ith daily, would naturally lead to the belief that sensation 
and motion were inseparably united in all the differe-it formn 
of the nervous system ; and when it was Imagined that two such 
distinct functions could belong to the same part, it would not 
be inconsistent to believe that other powers could be combined 
with them. 

Bu^ Sir Charles Bell had not long commenced his investiga- 
tions, when it ocouiTed to him that it was contrary to reason to 
suppose that two functions so essentially distinct from each other 
as motion and sensation, could belong to the same nerve. Let 
lis consider the direction in which the nervous agency which 
gives rise to motion, must necessarily be conveyed along a nerve 
to produce muscular contraction. As the volition originates in 
the brain, and the force, whatever it is, which acts upon the 
nerve must be propagated to the muscle, it is obvious that the 
force will proceed outwardly or centrifugally. But when a 
sensation is felt, as the effect must be produced by an impression 
being made upon the extremity of the nerve expanded on the 
skin, and by that being conveyed to the sensorium, it follows 
that the course of the nervous agency must be inwardly, or 
centiipetally. Hence the force which causes muscular contrac- 
tion passes along a nerve in one direction, and that which causes 
sensation in a contrary direction : and it is inconsistent to supposo 
that the same nerve, or same portion of the nervous centres, 
could minister to both functions at once. 

The fundamental princifile of the author's discoveries was 
originally announced in nearly the following terms : — The nerves 
of the body possess distinct and appropriate functions, corre- 
sponding with the parts of the brain and spinal marrow with 
■R-hioh they are connected at their roo<s; and when a nerve> 
which appears simple, is found to bestow more than one endow- 
ment, it is a sign that that nerve has more than one origin from, 
the brain, and consists in reality of several nerves joined together. 

The mode by which this principle was demonstrated and 
established to be a law in physiology, was as follows : — 

The author first directed attention to the nerves of the Organs 
:)f the Senses. These nerves were formerly conceived to be so 
slosely allied to each other, that their functions were regarded 
rather as modifications of one common property, than as distinct 
4ud specific. Thus it was siipposed that tho nerve of one organ 



OP THE NERVES. 213 

of sense coiiU be the substitute for the nerve jf another, if 
transposed to that organ. For example, it was believed that the 
optic nerve, on which vision depends, could bestow sensation 
or pain lilie a nerve of the sliin ; and vice versa. But the author 
proved these opinions to be inoonect. He showed that eacti. 
nerve of sense is limited to receivinga distinct and appropriate 
impression ; lliat the nerve of vision can only give ideas of light 
and colour ;* the nerve of hearing, impressions of sound ; the 
nerve of smelling, the perception of odours; and so on. He 
further showed that these special properties depended on each of 
the nerves of sense having its root in a, distinct portion of the 
brain, provided for receiving its own peculiar impression. This 
fact could not be easily demonstrated by referring to the human 
brain alone, where, owing to the organs of sense and the in- 
tellectual capacities related to them, having reached their 
highest point of development, the structure is very complex ; but 
it could be satisfactorily made out with the assistance of com- 
parative anatomy. When we examine the inferior classes of 
animals, it is not found that those lowest in the scale possess 
the same number of organs of sense which belong to the higher ; 
on the contrary, the organs are bestowed gradually, one after 
another, in correspondence with the progressive advancement of 
the creatures in the scale of animal existence. As new organs 
are added, appropriate nerves appear, which communicate with 
the central part of the nervous system, analogous to the brain, 
of the animal. That elementary brain consists, at first, of mere 
swellings, or accumulations of nervous substance, called " gan- 
glions," collected about the mouth : and it is observed that,- 
according as additional organs of sense, with their nerves, are 

* He illustrated that fact in the following manner. Pressure 
applied to the surface of tlie eye, between the eyelids, gives ri-e to 
pain more acute than that felt in the skin generally, but still of a 
similnr kind ; a sense of touch. But pressure applied to the side 
of the eye, so as to affect the retina within, produces the appearance 
of a halo of variously coloured light before the eye, or ii totally 
different kind of sense from touch. In couching for cataract, tiio 
needle, when piercing the outer part of the eye, gives rise to pain, 
— to a sensation like that of pricking the skin; when it enters 
more deeply and transfixes the retina, it gives rise to an appear- 
ance like that of a spark of fire ; that is, a sense of light and colour, 
quite different from toucli. 



214 OF THE NEBVKS. 

introduced, new ganglions make their appearance : for the pur- 
pose, as it is reasonably concluded, of ministering to the new 
sijecies of sense conferred on the animal. In proportion as the 
organization approaches in resemblance to that of man, the gan- 
j;lions enlarge, coalesce, and become changed in form, so as to he 
distinguished with difficulty from each other: but they continue 
even in the highest animals, to be called after the organs of sense 
over which they are supposed to preside : hence tliey get the 
names of Optic ganglions or lobes. Olfactory lobes, Auditory 
lobes, &c. That was the first step taken by the author, to show 
that the nerves possess distinct functions ; and that they obtain 
these from being connected with subdivisions of the brain, wliiih 
have also distinct endowments. 

The next stage in his progress was marked by more striking 
results. His object was now to explain how tlie nerves, known 
to bestow Motor power and Sensation conjointly, are endowed 
with that double proj erty. 

It may here he stated, that by far the greatest number of the 
nerves which supply the body generally, arise from the Spinal 
Marrow. Now, the way in which he proceeded to ascirtain the 
source of the double i ower possessed by the spinal nerves, was 
this. He took one of them, for example, a nerve of the arm ; 
and tracing it from the arm towards its origin in the spinal 
marrow, he observed that as it approached that organ, it sub- 
divided into two parts, called its roots — and that one of the roots 
entered a division of nervous substance, distinct from the othi r ; 
one loot being further distinguished by having a swelling upon 
it termed a <;anglion. 

That such was the mode of origin of all the spinal nerves, had 
long been well known to anatomists ; yet no physiological con- 
cUisinn had been drawn from it. But, following the piinciple 
which guided him in his researches, the author was led to suppose 
that roots, which thus proceeded from distinct portions of the 
spinal marrow, would possess distinct eiidowments. He there- 
fore inferred, that one of the roots niight be that which gave 
motion, while the other might be that which gave sensation ; and, 
assuming this view to bo correct, he further supposed, that the 
reason why a spinal nerve possessed both motion and sensation 
was, tliat the nerve was in reality double, being compounded of 
fibrils from two distinct roots. 



OF THE NEUVES. 215 

Aocoiiiia_;ly, he proceeded to verify Kis opinion by experiments 
m.ide directly upon the roots of the spinal nerves, and also by 
obsorvatioas and experiments on nerves of the Brain, some of 
which resemble the spinal nerves in structure, while others dififer 
from them. Following that course of investigation, he proved by 
indisputable evidence, — that the root which passes to the posterior 
division of the spinal marrow, and has a ganglion upon it, bestows 
sensation alone ; and that the root which goes to the anterior 
divisien, gives motion alone. Thus he established, for the first 
time, the important fact, that nerves of Sensation are distinct 
from those of Motion. 

It has just been stated, that the author had recourse to observa- 
tions and experiments on the nerves of the Brain, to assist him 
in drawing his conclusions as to the distinct functions of the 
ro >ts of the spinal nerves : I may therefore describe shortly the 
results of his inquiries into the distinction between the motor' 
and sensitive nerves of that organ. 

With one exception, all the nerves which arise from the Brain 
and issue from the skull to supply different parts of the Head, 
instead of having, like the spinal nerves, double roots, have 
single roots. A series of these single-rooted nerves arise in a 
continuous line from a prolongation in the brain of that division 
or tract of the spinal marrow, which gives off the anterior or 
motor roots of the spinal nerves. 

The nerve which forms the exception, is the " Fifth " nerve as 
it is termed. Pjevious to the author's investigations, the anatomy 
of the roots of that nerve, although correctly described in some 
works, had attracted no particular interest ; and the most 
important points connected with it were commonly passed over 
unnoticed. The author observed that the Fifth is singular 
among the nerves of the Brain, in having double roots, like the 
nerves of the Spinal Marrow ; and that while one root arises from 
the continued tract of the spinal marrow which gives off the 
motor roots, the other on which, as in the posterior roots of the 
spinal nerves, a ganglion is formed, penetrates to a considerable 
depth, in order to arise from the tract which sends off the 
posterior, or sensitive roots. 

Fir.st, in regard to the experiments on nerves which arise by 
single roots from the brain. The nerve first selected to illustrate 
the functions of that series, was the one which passes to the 



216 OP THE NERVES. 

Tongue, and is called the Ninth. Arising from the division of 
the spinal marrow which givts off the anterior roots, just as that 
division begins to unite With the brain, or at' the top of the spinal 
marrow, the Ninth cerebral nerve may be regarded, in its ana- 
tomical structure, as an anterior root of a spinal nerve, not 
joined by any posterior root. The nerve having come off in that 
manner, passes out immediately, through an appropriate hole 
ill the base of the skull, and without being joined by the fibrils 
of any ether nerve, is distributed to the Tongue. It is reitiarked 
that in its passage to the tongue, it avoids going to the surfslOe, 
endowed with sensibility ; and exhausts all its branches in sup- 
plying the various imiscles which move the organ. When this 
nerve was cut across in experiment, it was found that the tongue 
was instantaneously deprived of the power of motion : but the 
sensibility was unimpaired. It was accordingly proved that as 
the Ninth resembles the anterior roots of the spinal nerves in its 
mode of origin, it resembles them in function, and is exclusivcl}" 
a Motor nerve. 

Next, in regard to the experiments on the Fifth nerve. It will 
be understood from the Plan, that although this nerve resembles 
the spinal nerves, in the general structure of its roots, one of them, 
the ganglionic (corresponding with the posterior spinal roots), is 
greatly larger than the root without a ganglion. It may also b© 
seen, that shortly after its origin, the whole nei"ve subdivides into 
three great trunks, whioh ramify over the entire head ; and that 
^the smaller root joins only one of the trunks, called the third or 
inferior maxillary, which supplies the lower i art of the face, and 
the muscles of the jaws. Hence the first and second groat branches 
are simple in structure, being formed entirely of fibrils from the 
larger, or ganglionic, root ; while the third is in part compound, 
from containing fibrils of the lesser root. 

Referring to Plate IV., it may be observed that two large 
branches, one above and the other helow the orbit, marked re- 
spectively I. and II., issue from the bones of the face to go to 
parts already abundantly supplied by another nerve, the portio 
dura : these are branches, as may be seen in the Plan, of the 
first two trunks of the fifth, derived from the ganglionic root 
alone. Now it was found that when these branches, called the 
supra-orbitary and mfra-orbitary nerves, were expofed in a 
living animal, it gave the most acute pain to prick or squeez« 



OF THE KERVES, 



217 



them : and when they were cut across, the whole surface of the 




face to which they are sent, was deprived instantaneously of 
sensation ; so entirely was sensation destroyed that the skin 



2i8 OF THE NERVES. 

could be cut or pinched without the animal being-conscious of- 
the injury — without its wincing; and yet the motion of the 
I'arls was perfectly retained. Again, when the third or inferior 
maxillary trunk, composed of the two roots conjoined, was 
similarly exposed, and cut across above the point of union, pain 
was expejienced in the operation, and the parts to which it is 
sent were deprived of sensation ; but an additional effect was 
jiioduced — the muscles of the jaws, to which the fibrils of the 
smaller root go,- were paralysed. Hence the conclusion was 
obvious, that the larger root of the fifth nerve is endowed with 
b'ensation, and the smaller with Motion ; and that is only where 
fibrils of the two roots are combined, that the nerve can give both 
properties at once. Hence, also, confirmation was given to the 
deductions drawn from the ex|)eriments on the roots of the Spinal 
nerves ; the root of the Fifth cerebral nerve, analogous in structure 
to the posterior roots of the spinal nerves, having been shewn to 
bestow [Sensation, it was an additional proof that the function of 
the posterior spinal roots was to confer Sensation : and the root 
of the Fifth, analogous to the anterior roots of the spinal nerves, 
having been shown to bestow Motion, it was an additional proof 
that the function of the anterior spinal roots was to confer Motion. 
The author next selected for experiment another neiTe, which 
springs from a different part of the brain from the ninth or 
fifth, — the Facial nerve, or Portio Dura. This nerve arises by 
a simple root, and, without mixing its fibrils with those of any 
other, appears externally before the ear, as represented by A in 
Plate IV. and is distributed to the face. It had been hitherto 
believed that the portio dura was capable of bestowing both 
motion and sensation. But the author proved that this nerve 
was limited to giving motor power. By making a small incision 
through the skin, not larger than that for bleeding, he exposed 
the nerve in a monkey, — an animal which he considered better 
adapted than any other for the experiment, owing to the well- 
known mobility aud activity of its features: when the nerve 
was laid bare and cut, the motions of the corresponding side of 
the countenance were at once and entirely extinguished ; but the 
sensibility was unimpaired. It was even observed, as an addi- 
tional proof that sensation does not depend upon the portio dura, 
that the animal manifested no signs of pain during the act ol 
cutting it through, or pinching it. 



OF THE NERVES. U19 

It will be admitted that the facts and reasoning now brought 
forward, were sufficient alone to establish the truth of the general 
propceition — That nerves of Sensation are distinct from nerves cf 
Motion : and that to different parts of the Brain and Spinal 
Marrow, belong distinct and appropriate endowments. But addi- 
tional proofs of a still more convincing and interesting kind were 
soon obtained, by observing the effects of disease in the nervous 
system of Man himself. Numerous cases early presented them- 
selves where morbid changes in the structure of the Brain, Spinal 
Marrow, or Roots of the nerves, in man, gave rise to phenomena 
similar to those which follow experiments on the lower animals.* 

For example, tumours sometimes grow within the vertebral 
canal, where the spinal marrow is lodged, and develop them- 
selves in such a manner as to destroy one set of the roots of the 
spinal nerves, without involving the other ; in these cases, only 
one function of the nerves is lost : if the anterior roots be 
affected, there is loss of motion ; if the posterior, there is loss of 
sensfition ; and the patient is in the singular condition of having 
feeling in the limb, although he cannot move it : or he may be 
able to move it and tarveno feeling. Cases of a similar kind 
were met with more frequently in the face. Owing to the portio 
dura, and fifth nerve, which supply the face, arising from parts of 
the brain at a distance from each other, and the one taking a 
circuitous course apart from the other, disease often affects one 
nerve and destroys its function, without reaching the other. In 
such cases, where the portio dura is affected, the muscles of the 
face are deprived of motion ; the [latient can no longer knit his 
brows, close his eyelids, inflate his nostril, or hold anything 
between his lips ; expression is entirely lost, and, owing to the 
muscles of the sound side dragging the paralysed cheek and lip 
towards them, the face is distorted ; but there is no diminution 
of sensibility in the half of the face, thus completely deprived of 
raotion.f But when the branches of the fifth nerve, which 

* The cases referred to were recorded chiefly by the author's 
zealous assistant in tliese pm'suits, Mr. John Shaw. 

t And it may be added, that no pain attepds the loss of function. 
Patients are seldom aware of their face having become paralysed, 
until told by a &'.end, or it has been observed by themselves, in the 
mirror. That is, the nerve, although formerly conceived to )>e 
one of the most exquisitely sensitive parts of the body, undergoes » 



S20 OF THE NLEVES. 

emerge upon the face, and arise from tlie larger root alrne, are 
affected, sensation is entirely lost, while motion is unimpaired. 
For example, the surface of the eye, supplied hy supeificial 
branches of the fifth, and a part so exquisitely sensible that if a 
fine hair touches it there will be severe pain and spasm of the 
eyelids, may, when the nerve is destroyed, he rudely pressed 
with the finger, and the patient will nevertheless be unconscious 
of pain ; or if the sui'face be inflamed,* and it be necessary to 
scarify it with the point of the lancet, in order to withdraw 
blood, the patient will submit to the operation without pain, 
and without even winking, although the eyelids retnin their 
power of closing, through the portio dura. It is from a morbid 
condition of one or other of the branches of the fifth that the 
excruciating paroxysms of pain in that dreadful disorder, tic 
douloureux, are produced. Should the disease which affects the 
nerve be situated close to its origin, so as to include both roots, 
then motion will be lost, as well as sensation ; besides, all the 
surfaces of the head which are supplied by the larger, sensitive 
root, being deprived of sensation, the muscles of the jaws 
supplied by the lesser root will be paralyzed : so that the patient, 
in eating, will neither be sensible of the presence of the food in 
the affected side of his mouth, nor be able to chew it. 

Prom such examples as the above, some idea may be formed 
of the benefits conferred upon medical science by the discoveries 
in the nervous system thus shortly described. While it con- 
process of disorganization sufficient to deprive it of its function, and 
yet the patient suffers no pain. This is accounted for by the portio 
dura being simply a nerve of motion, and having no power of 
bestowing sensation, or of giving pain. 

* Loss of sensation in the eye, from disease affecting tlie ophthalmic 
branches of the fifth, is often followed by inflammatiou, which ter- 
minates in the destruction of the organ. This is caused by the eye 
liaving been deprived of its important guardian, the sensibility, 
which induces not only winking, but other efforts, to protect the 
tender surface from injury; dust, and other irritating purticles, 
lodge beneath the eyelids, and without causing pain, set .uj) iii- 
flanimatury action. Cases arc sometimes met with, where the 
surface of the eye has lost sensation, but where (owing to another 
nerve, the third, being also affected) the upper eyelid has per- 
manently dropped, so as to cover the eye, and defend it I'ljm 
injury ; in these cases, infiamEration does not occur, and the eye 
preserves its transparency. 



OF THE NERVES. 221 

tinued to be believed that every nerve, from whatever part it 
camo, had the same kind of functions, and that the different 
divisions of the brain and spinal marrow were alike, it followed 
that, when a case occurred of partial loss of sensation or of motion 
in any part of the body, the physician was led to conclude that 
disease had commenced in the brain ; and his treatment was 
conducted on that supposition. But when it was proved that 
the nerves had distinct endowments, it was reailily understood 
that the partial loss whether of motion or sensation, might 
depend on an affection of the nerves after they had Lft the brain, 
Rud were external to the skull, and consequently, that instead of 
the symptoms indicating a serious, or perhaps fatal disease of the 
brain, they might point to a comparatively harmless disorder. 
In short, the knowledge now acquired of the nervous system 
lends, every day, the most valuable aid to the practitioner ; it 
gives him means, not formerly in his power, of exploring disease, 
and of tracing it along to the precise spot where it is situated. 



On the Classification of the Nerves into the " Original" and 
" Respiratory" Systems. 

When the, author had established the existence of the imp' r- 
tant distinctions between the nerves of the cerebro-spinal system,* 
just pointed out, it soon became apparent that other questions 
remained to be solved concerning them. Having been led, in 
following the principle of his researches, to view the different 
modes in which the nerves arise from distinct subdivisions of the 
central organs, as indicating a diversity of function, he was 
forcibly struck by observing certain distinctions in the origins 
and mode of distribution of particular groups of nerves. With 
the object of ascertaining whether these anatomical differences 
pointed to further differences of function, he proceeded, first, to 

* The cerebro-spinal nerves include all those which arise from 
the Brain and Spinal JkTarrow. They are so called in contra- 
distinction to the " Sympathetic " system, which consists of a 
series of nerves and ganglions distributed tc the viscera of the 
chest and abdomen, and in many important p^ ints differing froui 
them. 



222 or THE NERVES. 

examine the various parts of the body to which the nerves thuii 
coming from distinct divisions of the brain and spinal maiTow. 
are sent ; and, then, to compare the actions and uses of the parts 
with each other. 

When we take a general survey of the nerves of the human 
body (excluding, for the present, the nerves of the Organs of the 
Senses, and the Sympathetic system), it is remarked, that theie 
is one extensive series — so large that it embraces nearly all tlie 
nerves together — distinguished by the regularity and symmetry 
with which they are given off and pass to their destinations: 
wliile there is another series, arising from a different part of the 
nervous centres, remarkable for their partial and irregular dis- 
tribution. 

The first class consists principally of the Spinal Nerves. 
Passing off from the whole length of the Spinal Marrow, at 
intervals of about an inch from each other, these nerves go iii 
regular succession to the back of the head, the neck, the upper 
extremities, the whole trunk, and the lower extremities ; and as 
each nerve is composed of two roots, one fur motion and the 
other sensation, they bestow these double properties wherever 
they are sent. To this extensive series must be added the 
Fifth cerebral nerve, which both in structure and function, as 
it has been already shown, is a spinal nerve ; by its larger root it 
confers sensation on all parts of the head not supplied by the 
superior spinal nerves ; and by its lesser root it gives the power 
of motion to a limited set of muscles, viz. tliose by which 
maatication is performer!. 

As to the second class, they arise near the point of union ot 
the brain and spinal marrow, from a comparatively circumscribed 
portion of cerebral structure ; the tract or division of nervous 
substance from which they originate, is distinct from either ol 
those which give off the roots of the spinal nerves and fifih 
cerebral nerve ; and in passing out to the body, they course in A 
radiating manner to parts of the head, neck, and chest, where 
nerves of the former class are already jilentifuUy distributed. 
When we examine the structures thus supplied, we perceive that 
they enter into the formation of the organ of Respiration. 

Consequently, a question was here presented for solution — 
What is the particular character of the organs superintended 
by the first class, which distinguishes them from the .orgat: j( 



OF THE NERVES. 223 

Breathing supplied by a different class ; or that will account for 
the former organs being supplied by a series of nerves so regular 
in their origins and distribution, and so widely extended, as the 
spinal nerves and fifth cerebial nerve; while the res|>iratory 
organ is provided with an appropriate set of nerves, jomparatively 
few in number, and differing in several anatomical features from 
the others ? 

To solve that problem, the author found it necessary to call 
in the aid of comparative anatomy, and to take a general survey 
of the nervous system as it is presented in the whole animal 
kingdom. First : it is known that in all living animals, from 
the lowest to the highest, an analogy exists in the structure of 
their bodies; so that Man, and all animals below him, have 
certain organs in common. That being the case, the author 
expected to find that in the nervous system, which controls 
those organs, there would be a corresponding commonness of 
character visible in the whole animal kingdom. But again, as, 
in the various organs composing the body, a gradual process of 
development takes place, so that the organization of each rises 
in perfection in proportion as animals ascend in the scale ; and 
as, in some particular parts, the mechanism undergoes material 
changes, giving rise to quite a new arrangement of the structures, 
he thought it reasonable to expect that corresponding modiflcar 
tions would be introduced into the nervous system, to adapt it 
to the new construction of .such parts. 

Prcceeding on that view, he was led to observe that the 
numerous members of the body which are supplied by the spinal 
nerv(.s and fifih cerebral nerve, form together a system, which, 
as regards the uses they serve in the economy, presents a re- 
markable uniformity through the whole animal kingdom , whila 
in the organ of Respiration supplied by the other set of nerves, 
a striking difference in that respect exists ; the apparatus of 
Breathing, in the lowest animals, is applied exclusively to 
oxygenating the Blood ; its mechanism is adapted to no other 
office: butin tbehigl er animals, although it continues to execute 
that necessary function of purifying the blooil, it has a new and 
distinct office superadded to it ; the mechanism is altered and 
arranged in such a manner as to adapt it to be the organ of Voice; 
and in Man it is besides the essential part of the organ of Speech 
and Expression. 



224 OF THE NERVES. 

Hence, the author was led to conclude : — First, That the class 
ol spinal nerves and fifth cerebral nerve represents in Man a 
system which exists, under different phases, in every animal, and 
he called it the " Original" class : Secondly, That the nerves of 
the organ of Respiration are a new system, introduced in oon-e- 
spondeuce with changes which take place in the structure of that 
organ, in the cou:<ie of its development, to adapt it to Man's 
intellectual nature, and he called them the " Superadded," or 
" Respiratory " class. 

To give a full exposition of the grounds on which the above 
classification is founded, would occupy more space than my limits 
allow. But I may point out briefly some of the leading facts oa 
which it is based. 

First, as to the statement. That the spinal nerves and fifth 
cerebral nerve, called the " Original " clas?, superintend organs 
common to the lowest animals and Man, — it is necessary, in 
order to judge of its correctness, to inquire, What organs are 
possessed alike by Man and all the inferior animals ? 

To give the most comprehensive answer to that question, the 
best mode is to consider — Which are the organs that distirguish 
a member of the Animal kingdom from a member of the Vege- 
table kingdom ? By thus going to the bottom of the sciile of 
living beings, and observing what instruments are essential for 
the existence of the animal of simplest structure, as well as of 
Man, and then taking into view the nerves required for con- 
trolling such parts, we shall arrive at a knowledge of the nervous 
system in its " Original," or least developed condition ; and by 
tracing both the organs and the nerves upwards to Man, we shall 
be able to judge of the persistence of the class, through the whole 
animal kingdom. 

Now, when we compare Animals and Vegetables together, we 
find that they are not so distantly related to each other as might 
at first be thought. Indeed, some animals, living on the confines ' 
DP.tween the two kingdoms, bear such a close resemblance to 
plants, and plants to animals, that zoologists often meet with 
difficulties in deciding whose subjects they are. But if we take 
a general principle for oar guidance, and disregard these approxi- 
mations, (for in the works of Nature there are no sudden, 
trenchant divisions, — she never arranges the objects of creation 
in squares, circles, or parallelograms ; but proceeds, even in her 



OF THE NEEVEB. 225 

progress from the inorganic to the organic world, by slow, 
uniform gradations), we shall find that the Animal possesses 
organs essentially distinct from the \'egetahle. 

The organs common to the vegetable and animal, are those 
connected with the nourishment, growth, and reproduction of the 
structures. Thus, a plant imbibes nutritious matters from the 
earth : circulates that matter, as sap, along the branches and 
leaves ; the sap is subject to a process of purification similar to 
that elFected upon the blood of animals, by the lungs ; it has, 
besides, organs, like secreting glands, for eliminating various 
substances from the sap. All those organs are analogous to 
the parts in the animal frame which serve for digestion, assimila- 
tion, oxygenation of the blood, secretion, excretion, &c. It is 
not, therefore, among them, that we look for distinctive charac- 
ters between Vegetables and Animals. 

The difference will be found when we consider, that a plant is 
motionless — is a fixture to the part of the earth where it was 
originally sown, and obtains its nourishment by the very roots 
which fix it to the soil ; wiiile an animal, on the contrary, is loco- 
motive, and must shift from spot to spot, in quest of nutriment. 

Here, then, is the great and prominent distinction between a 
member of the vegetable and of the animal kingdom. The one 
is stationary ; the other endowed with spontaneous motion. To 
ascertain, therefore, what are the characteristic, distinctive parts 
of an Animal body we have to inquire — What organs must be 
supplied to adapt it to move from place to place in search of 
food, and to enable it when it has reached its food, to seize and 
appropriate it ? 

The First set of organs which an animal will require, will be 
organs of Locomotion or progression ; in other words, parts 
analogous to our limbs ; if the creature be aquatic, they may be 
fins, or paddles ; if it move in the air, they may be wings ; if it 
inhabit dry land, they may be extremities and feet The Second 
will be instruments which the animal may put forth, as we do 
OUT hands, to seize and secure the objects of nourishment ; and 
they may be presented under various forms, as tentacles, paws 
armed with claws, projecting muzzles with teeth of peculiar 
shape : these are the Prehensile organs. The Third will be a 
MouCh, provided with appendages more or less resembling 
teeth, for dividing and triturating the food, and preparing it foi 



226 OF THE NERVES. 

■passing along the gullet to the stomach. The Fourth will be 
jrgans capable of regulating the combined machinery of the 
tody ; that is, parts endowed with the jxiwer of initiating motion, 
and senses to guide the movements of the animal ; that is, a 
Nervous System, consisting of nerves of motion, nerves of sense, 
and a sensorium analogous to the brain. 

If we take a general survey of the animal kingdom, we shall 
find that every living being, whatever may he its place in the 
scale, possesses a representative, of one kind or other, of all the 
organs just enumerated. It is true that their structure, in the 
lowest, is greatly varied ; in many, the signs of affinity to ve2;e- 
tables obscure their proper character ; in others, the organs 
serving for distinct purposes are more or less fused into each 
other, so as to be distinguished with difficulty ; again, we meet 
with infinitely varied modifications in the mechanism of the same 
organs, to accommodaite them to the innumerably different 
modes by which animals obtain their food : yet from the lowest 
animal inhabiting a stagnant pool up to Man, a single type or 
plan of formation is adhered to. 

We may now perceive how the author came to believe, that 
the spinal nerves and fifth cerebral nerve, in Man, is a class 
common to all grades of the animal kingdom. Let me re- 
capitulate the organs to which the nerves of that class are sent. 
1st, the spinal nerves supply the Lower Extremities — the organs 
of progression in man, corresponding with those members by 
which other animals move from place to place in search of food : 
2dly, they are sent to the Upper Extremities, the arm and hand 
— the instruments of prehension in man, analogous to those 
organs by which the inferior animals seize and secure objects of 
nourishment ; 3dly, the branches of the motor root of the fifth 
cerebral nerve are distributed to the muscles of the Jaws — the 
manducatory organ— corresponding with the ora aperture of the 
lower animals, where food is delayed and submitted to triturat'on 
previous to being swallowed and passed into the stomach. Finally, 
this system supplies nerves to the two organs of sense which are 
most essential for guiding the movements of an animal in search 
of nourishment : it gives the nerves of Touch, and of Taste.* 

* As it is by the sense of Taste, combined with touch, tlial 
animals distinguish tlieir food, we can understand why the nerve 
sf taste — the Gustatory b.anch of the fifth cerebral nerve — should 



OF THE NEBVES. 227 

Secondly : as to the " Eespiratory " class of nerves, and their 
being a superadded system, introduced in the higher animals in 
correspoT> Sence with changes of structure which the organ of 
breathing undergoes, in its course of development through the 
animal kitgaom, to adapt it to Voice, in Man — the correctness of 
that theory will be best perceived by taking a general survey of 
the apparatus for respiration, as presented in the lowest and the 
highest animals. 

To follow the short description I am about to give, it may be 
of advantage to consider, at the outset, — What are the conditions 
required in the organ of Respiration to accommodate it to produce 
Voice, besides carrying on its primary and ordinary function of 
oxygenating the blood ? 

The first thing is, that the air, with which the blood to be 
purified is brought in contact, shall be collected within a partially 
closed cavity ; and that the walls of that cavity shall be capable 
of contracting on the volume of aii', so as to expel it with an 
impetus sufBciently strong to produce vibrations, and thus give 
rise to sound. The second essential thing is, that a tube, or 
windpipe, shall communicate between the cavity and the external 
air; and that, connected with that tube, there shall be an 
appropriate apparatus for varying and modulating the sounds 
produced by the expulsion of air through the tube. That is the 
simplest view of an organ of Voice, such as belongs to man. 

But in the lowest animals, we find no vestige of a structure 
like what has been described. The air which oxygenates the 
blood, instead of being drawn into the interior of the body, 
exercises its influence on the blood from without — that is, by 
coming in contact with the exterior surface of the animal ; 
and there is no provision at. all, connected with the organ of 
breathing, for producing sound. In the whole extent of com- 
parative anatomy, so fertile in subjects calculated to inspii'e 



be included in a system, common to all members of the animal 
kingdom, found in the earliest period of animal development, as in 
the latest. It has been stated before (p. 214), that the other senses, 
viz. seeing, hearing, and smelling, are liestowed upon animals, one 
after the other, according as they rise in the scale, and their 
organization becomes adapted to the possession of such additional 
senses. That may explain why the optic, auditoiy, and olfactory 
nerves should have distinct origins from the brain. 

q2 



228 OF THE NEKVES. 

admiration, there is nothing which raises that feeling more, tlian 
observing the series of simple changes which gradually take place 
in different animals, A% they ascend in th» animal scale, t« 
conduct the air, applied, at first, to parts situated externally, into 
the interior of the body, there to be partially closed in, and made 
available for producmg Voice and Articulate Language, besides 
purifying the blood. 

In the inferior animals which are only a grade above 
Vegetables, no distinct respiratory organ exists. That deficiency 
corresponds with the absence of a system of vessels for circulating 
the blood in these creatures. The fluids obtained by assimilation 
of the food, and representing blood, are diffused through the 
cellular structure of the animal's body ; and it is simply by the 
air being brought into contact with the integument, that a 
process of"oxygenation, analogous to what takes place in the lungs 
of the higher animals, is effected : so that the mode of purification 
of the fluids in aninvils at the bottom of the scale, differs but 
little &om that in vegetables. As soon as distinct tubes are 
formed for circulating the nutrient fluids (scarcely to be called 
blood at that early period) through the body, traces are perceived 
of a respiratory organ. A congeries of vessels directing their 
course to a particular spot, indicates that the apparatus for 
respiration is situated at that part : but we find nothing as yet 
approximating in appearance to Lungs. The animals referred to 
hve in the water: and all that can be seen to represent a 
respiratory organ, is a set of loose fringes, or tufts, formed by 
duplications, or prolongations, of the integuments. By floating 
freely in the water, these tufts expose the blood circulating in 
them to the action of the air with which the water is charged, 
in a more effectual manner than can be done by the integument 
generally. As the circulating system becomes more distinct, the 
fringes are exchanged for small sacs within the animal, formed 
by the integument folded inwards upon itself, and open for the 
ingress and egress of water. These pouches are, at first, mere 
shallow cavities ; but as the organization advances, their lining 
membranes, on which the blood-vessels are spread, are disposed 
into numerous folds, so as to increase the extent of surfece with 
which the water and its contained air come in contact. The 
apparatus for respiration in Insects, is a modification of the latter 
kind of structure : ranged alotg the sides of their bodies, at 



01" THE NEEVES. 229 

regular intervals, there is a succession of holes, which are the 
openings of a series of infinitely small tubes, extending in all 
directions through their interior ; these openings and tubes 
conduct the air into their bodies, where it has the effiict of 
purifying the blood. A higher form of respiratory organ is 
presented in branchise or gills. These are possessed by such 
animals only as have the circulating system so far developed, that 
the elements of a heart, and a distinct set of vessels for 
conveying the blood to be oxygenated, appear for the first time ; 
and they therefore indicate a greater concentration both of the 
respiratory organ and of the circulating system. But even gills 
pass through many gradations before they acquire that high 
degree of development with which we are most familiar in Fishes. 

What we have cliieflj' to remark in all the modes of respiration 
hitherto mentioned ia ; first, that vmtil we arrive at the order 
Fishes, the lowest of the Vertebrata, the Mouth has no connection 
with the organ of breathing; — in all the Invertebrate, that aper- 
ture serves exclusively for taking in the food and manduoation. 
Secondly, that it is in fishes, that we have the earliest example 
of an internal skeleton, in which is blocked out, as it were, the 
first rude form of a chest, for containing lungs, and for drawing 
in and expelling the air through a single tube, the trachea, or 
windpipe, communicating with the Mouth. 

It may be new to many of the readers of this work to be told 
that the Air-Bladder, which serves in most fishes to accommo- 
date their specific gravity to the various degrees of density of 
the water in which they swim, is, in reality, an elementary Lung. 
Yet that is proved to be the case by many facts in comparative 
anatomy. It is sufficient to state, that a set of fishes exist called 
sauroid (from their resemblance to the inferior kinds of Reptiles), 
in which the air-bladder communicates with the mouth by a 
tube (termed ductus pneumaticus), which resembles, in all 
respects, a windpipe ; and these fishes, when left on dry land, 
can respire by this apparatus, independently of their gills. The 
same structure passes through various gradations in other animals 
intermediate between fishes and reptiles, till the gills at length 
disappear, and the air-bladder becomes a more perfectly m-- 
ganized lung. 

If we trace the progressive changes by which the sac, thus 
introtluood for the first time, into the interior of the body in 



230 OF THE NEKVES. 

iomnuuication with the mouth, hecomes at length surroundefl 
by an apparatus of ribs and muscles, capable, by alternate expan- 
sion and contraction, of drawing in and expelling air, we shall 
find that the mechanism makes important advances towards a 
perfect form of that kind of respiration, iu the order Keptiles. 
In the lowest of .the order, viz. those reptiles immediately above 
fishes — Frogs and Tortoises — the development of ribs is so im- 
perfect, that instead of the sac, or lung, being filled with air by 
an expansive motion of the thorax, it is gradually distended by 
iinccessive actions of the Mouth, like swallowing: and Nostrils, 
through which the air is thus sucked, are now perceived. In 
the higher reptiles, as the Crocodiles, the membraneous sac 
becomes more compact, and like the proper substance of lung: it 
is permeated by numerous branches of the windpipe, which sub- 
divide and terminate in air-cells : and the lungs are now for the 
first time suiTOunded by the Eibs, and Sternum, provided with 
muscles to expand and contract the cavity. Although, in conse- 
quence of the weak, flexible structure of the bones of the chest 
(corresponding with the tortuous movements of the reptile in 
creeping), the process of alternate expansion and contraction is 
carried on imperfectly, the quantitj' of air received and dis- 
charged, small as it is, is suflBcient for animals which are cold- 
blooded, and have a torpid circulation like theirs. 

But however near an approximation is thus made, in reptiles, 
by the introduction of Nostrils, a Windpipe, and Lungs encased 
in a Thorax, to the apparatus of respiration as it exists in Man, 
a great change remains to be effected, before the resemblance is 
complete. Not only in reptiles, but in Birds, which is the order 
of vertebrata next above reptiles, the lungs occupy a part of the 
body common to them and the viscera generally : the thorax and 
abdomen I'orm a single cavity. It is not till we ascend to the 
Mammalia, the order above birds, and next to Man, — those 
vertebrate animals which have Lips, and can suck the teat — that 
a subdivision of the trunk iuto two distinct chambers, Is found. 
That separa-tion is accomplished by means of the Diaphragm, a 
muscular partition, which stretches across from the lower border 
of the ribs on one side to that on the other. When that muscle 
is added, the lungs are closed in on all sides by moveable walls, 
capable of expansion and contraction ; so that by enlarging 
the cavity, or inspiring, air is received freely into the chest j 



OF THE NEEVE8. 231 

and it can then be expelled, by respiration, with whatever 
degree of force is desired. In short, when the diaphragm is 
introduced, the organ of breathing attains its highest condition 
of concentration in the animal kingdom: and it is not only 
adapted in an admirable manner for oxygenating the blood, but 
for propelling the air along the windpipe, with such regulated 
force as is necessary to produce Vocal sounds. 

When the chest has acquired the compact form just described, 
aevtral modifications in the structure of different parts of the 
frame, which do not at first appear directly related to breathing, 
take place. New sensibilities, intended to guard the apparatus, 
and which have the power of animating numerous distinct muscles, 
to co-operate rapidly in producing appropriate defensive actions, are 
also introduced, in correspondence with the change of mechanism. 
It is necessary, in order to understand properly the uses of the 
nerves distributed to the organ, to bear those arrangements in 
view ; and I may therefore direct attention to a few of them. 

The first example will be from the act of Swallowing. We 
are so familiar with deglutition as an action performed in the 
same passage by which we receive our breath, that it does not 
seem remarkable, that food for nourishment, and air for respiration, 
should both be safely admitted by one entrance : and yet in about 
nine-tenths of the animal kingdom, namely, all the invertebrata, 
the mouth is appropriated exclusively to taking in food, and has 
nothing to do with respiration. But let us suppose a morsel in 
the mouth, and trace its progress to the stomach. I only allude, 
in passing, to the arrangements by which, when the mouth is 
full, and no air passes into the lungs by that inlet, it is provided 
that the breathing shall proceed uninterraptedly, by the Nostrils, 
which open into the throat behind, directly over the proper orifice 
of the windpipe. When the morsel has been chewed, and is 
ready for swallowing, it is propelled into the back of the mouth : 
and here it comes in contact with a part of the throat, which is 
p.ndowed with a remarkable sensibility, — a sensibility of such a 
nature that, when excited, there is an iiTesistible desire to swallow ; 
and the consequence is, that whenever the sensible spot is touched 
by the morsel, a large class of muscles, consisting not only of 
those immediately adjoining, but of others situated at a distance, 
are brought into combined action, to grasp and propel the food 
rapidly into the gullet. Here a great variety of movements takes 



232 01" THE NEKTES. 

place consentaneously. The windpipe is closed by its valve, the 
epiglottis, falling over it ; the posterior nostrils are shut, by the 
folding upwards of the curtain, called the soft palate ; certain 
strong muscles surrounding the upper part of the gullet compress 
the morsel, and urge it qmckly past the opening of the windpipe 
into that canal ; but, before the food can reach the stomach, it 
must pass through muscular fibres of the diaphragm, encirchng 
the gullet ; these fibres consequently relax, and there is a momen- 
tary interruption of the regular action of the diaphragm. Now 
=.11 these actions, which show so remarkable a consent between 
the muscles of deglutition and of respiration, are excited and 
regulated by the peculiar sensibility seated at the back part of 
the throat. If, however, there should be any disturbance in the 
act of swallowing, and a small portion of the food should pass 
the wrong way, a different set of actions will occur, under the 
influence of another kind of sensibility ; for example, if a crumb 
of bread should lodge in the throat, near the opening of the 
windpipe, a sensibility distinct from that which gives rise to 
swallowing, will be excited ; and will rouse the muscles to pro- 
duce a set of movements altogether diiferent from the fonner : 
the same muscles which are at one time engaged in deglutition, 
will now be combined in such a way as to cause a succession of 
violent extirpations or fits of coughing, which will continue till 
the irritating particle is expelled from the top of the windpipe, 
and the danger of choking removed. So there, are various other 
sensibilities seated in distinct parts of the passages, which differ 
in kind as well as degree, from those just mentioned ; and, when 
these are excited, similar concatenated actions of the muscles are 
produced, modified according to the structure which requires to 
be cleared or defended. 

I shall take the next example from the Circulating System. 
Comparative anatomy shows that, according as the apparatus of 
respiration becomes more perfectly organized, the heart and 
blood-vessels begin to be subdivided into two distinct systems ; 
ihe one for sending the blood to the lungs, and returning it when 
purified : and the other for distributing the purified blood to the 
body, and returning it for renewed oxygenation. That is the 
origin of the distinction drawn by anatomists, between tho 
nulmonic circle, which includes the part of the heart and blood 
vessels that belong to the lungs ; and the systemic circle, or part 



OF THE NEEVEH, 233 

of the heart and Wood-vessels which send the blood over the 
body, and return it to the heart. This separation takes place in 
the animal kingdom, slowly and gradually, and is only complete 
in the warm-blooded animals. Thus, in man, the division of the 
circulating system apijropriated to the lungs consists of cavities 
of the heart and of blood-vessels, quite distinct from those 
provided for propelling the blood over the body. Yet these two 
divisions act in perfect concert with each other; a concert 
mechanically secured by the peculiar structure of the heart ; for 
the two sets of muscular cavities constituting the heart, are joined 
together, to form a single organ, and they contract in unison. 
Thus, so close a sympathy is established between the heart and 
the organ of respiration, that any interruption to the breathing 
will not only aifeot the action of the division of the heart which 
belongs to the lungs, but it will disturb the action of that part, 
joined to it in structure, by which the purified blood is conveyed 
through the body. Again, agitation of the heart, by disturbing 
the regular flow of blood to and from the lungs, will in like 
manner disturb the actions of respiration. 

Another point, still connected with the Circulating system, 
deserves to be noticed, as throwing light on some of the questions 
treated in the work. The blood which returns to the heart by 
the veins, flows towards the chest in a slow and easily interrupted 
stream ; the force which propelled it when issuing from the heart 
by the arteries, being exhausted before it enters the veins. 
Prom this weakness of the cuiTent, it follows that the bloid 
collected in the great veins close to the entrance of the chest — 
as the jugular veins, for example — ^may be stopped by a slight 
cause ; when congestion of the minute branches will be the 
consequence, and serious injury may be occasioned to the more 
delicate organs from which the blood returns. Now there are 
certain conditions of the chest in breathing, during which the 
renous blood is thus interrupted. As we draw in the breath, 
the blood flows along the veins with perfect facility, because the 
superior opening of the chest is then enlarged, and the suction, 
which draws air into the windpipe, has also the effect of in- 
creasing the force of the current of returning blood. But when 
we expel the air, and thereby diminish the area of the chest, an 
obstruction takes place in the flow of blood in the veins, and i( 
the act of expiration be strong, reguigitation may be produced 



234 OF THE NERVES. 

This interiiif tion, and retrograde motion of the blood .n loi 
large veins of the neck, gorges the smaller vessels; the effect 
of which may he seen in a person seized with a fit of coughing or 
of sneezing : for his face then becomes suffused with red, and the 
superficial veins turgid with blood. It is therefore obvious, that 
if the veins of the surface of the head become congested, in sue? 
violent conditions of breathing, the deeper veins, returning th? 
blood from the Brain and the Eye, will also be over distendei 
from the same cause. Consequently, the delicate textures ot 
these important organs will be in danger of suffering serioui 
injury from the loaded and turgid condition of the veins. But 
both organs are defended from such dangers by a heautifu. 
arrangement of the muscles of the neck, which cover and protect 
the venous trunks. These muscles act in sympathy with the 
movements of respiration; so as to compress the large veins 
when the chest is contracted, and there is a tendency to re- 
gurgitation of the blood ; and to take pressure off them, when 
Jie chest is expanded, and the channel to the heart is free. It ig 
.urther to be noticed, that the flat web of muscular fibres whici 
covers the eye — the orbicularis muscle, by which we wink, and 
shut the eyes — is a part of the same provision. It acts in 
compressing the eye-ball whenever the chest is violently con- 
tracted, as in coughing, &c. ; by that means it closes the veins 
at the back of the orbit, and prevents engorgement of the fine 
branches which ramify on the dehcate coats within the eyeball.* 

* The orbicularis muscle is wanting In animals which have not 
the same concentrated apparatus for breathing as man. I have 
shewn elsewhere that in man and mammalia another provision 
exists besides that mentioned in the text, for guarding the eye 
against the irregularities of the venous circulation. The small 
veins which ramify in the interior of the organ between the delicate 
membranes that support the retina, join the larger trunks, before 
these pass out from the eye-ball, in a peculiar manner ; each branch 
makes a circular sweep, so as to describe nearly a complete circle, 
previous to entering its principal vein, and being arranged in 
concentric circles, they produce an appearance wlience the name 
vaea vorticosa has been applied to them. Nothing can be more 
admirably adapted than this structure for breaking the force of a 
retrogrude current of blood, and gradually diffusing it over the 
membranes. A similar vertiuose arrangement, though not so 
distinct, is observed in the superficial veins of the bram, and is 
obviously designed for a similar object. 



OF THE NEKVES. 23fl 

Hence it may be perceived by what close ties of sympathy the 
Circulating System and the Eespiratory Organ are held together, 
when both are in the concentrated condition presented in Man. 
The heart acts upon the organ of breathing : and it, in its turn, 
is acted upon by the lungs. It is in this manner that the 
troubled motions within the breast, which sensibly accompany" 
intense Emotion or Passion, exhibit themselves outwardly. 
Sudden changes of colour in the countenance denote disturbances 
in the heart's action ; laboured, irregular movements of the chest, 
extending to the neck and face, mark corresponding interruptions 
to the action of the respiratory organ : and both give rise to the 
varieties of Expression. Man is so constituted that he interprets, 
»s a natural language, these signs of a troubled bosom in his 
tellow men. It is a mode of communication intelligible to the 
inhabitants of every nation and clime, however diversified their 
ariiculate words. In this sense. Expression is a link which binds 
mankind in one common family. 

If, in that agitated state of respiration, Voice, either in song or 

- speech, be added, the sounds partake the perturbed condition ; 

and carry an effect as coming direct from the ■" bosom's lord," the 

Heart. Then is it that language, or music, exerts its most 

intense influence on the feelings of others. 

It was from studying the human body with these views, that 
the author concluded : — that the nerves which arise from a part 
of the brain distinct from that which gives off the nerves generally, 
and which are distributed to the organ of respiration, are bestowed 
in correspondence with the changes of mechanism which take 
place in that organ, and the new relations which are established 
between it and other parts, during its course of development in 
the animal kingdom. He believed that the main design of those 
progressive changes was to afford to man an instrument suited to 
the superior endowments conferred on him : — to supply him with 
an organ for the communication of thought, and for thus exercising 
and evolving the powers of his Mind — the great attribute by 
which he holds his exalted position in Creation. But as for 
intercourse with his fellow-men, Man does not depend upon 
articulate language alone ; there is the language of Expression ; 
a mode of communication understood" equally^ by mankind all 
over the globe ; — not conventional, or confined to nations, but 
aacd by the infant before speech, by untutored savage visited by 



236 OF THE NEKVES. 

civilised European — he thought that the apparatus which was 
introduced for Voice and Language, was the same by which 
passion and emotion address themselves to us. Accordingly, he 
concluded, that the nerves of Respiration are at the same time 
the nerves of Expression. 

Of these nerves, the " Nervus Vagus," from its extensive dis- 
tribution, and the importance of the organs which it supplies, 
must be accounted the most considerable. As its name implies, 
it takes a long, wandering course. Arising from the same part 
of the brain as the other respiratory nerves, it first gives branches 
to the back of the throat and posterior orifices of the Nostrils ; 
descending a little in the neck, it sends a nerve to the upper 
part of the larynx, the org.an of Voice ; having passed furthei 
down, and entered the chest, a branch is reflected upwards, which 
goes, like the last, to the Larynx, but supplies its lower part ; 
branches are next transmitted along the principal blood-vessels, 
to the Heart ; while others, following the course of the bronchial 
tubes, enter the Lungs : the nerve having now expanded nearly 
all its fibrils, descends along the gullet, and terminates in 
branches to that tube and the orifice of the stomach, where they 
are encircled by muscular fibres of the Diaphragm. The use of 
the nerve appears to be, to unite the various structures which 
have been enumerated, in sympathy ; so that although situated 
at remote distances, and for the most part intrinsically distinct in 
function, they may act in concert with the organ of respiration 
generally ; and harmony may be established in the many com- 
plicated actions which they are associated together in performing. 
The " Spinal Accessory " nerve passes obliquely down the side cf 
the neck, to supply muscles attached to the upper part of the 
chest and the shoulder-blades ; and as these muscles co-operate 
with others in expanding the chest, and assist also in preventing 
irregularities in the venous circulation during the excited con- 
ditions of breathing, it is concluded that the function of the 
nerve is to associate the muscles to which it goes, with the organ 
of respiration. The name of the next nerve in order, the 
" Gosso-pharyngeal," indicates the parts to which it is distributed, 
the Tongue, and the Pharynx, or funnel-like expansion at the 
back part of the throat, which forms the common opening of both 
the windpipe and the gullet : as it is here that the numerous 
complicated and finely arranged actions by which ths entrance 



OF THE NEKVES. 237 

Into the air-tube is protected during deglutitiou are performed, 
the glosso-pharyngeal nerve seems provided to regulate those 
actions, and connect them with the operations of the organ of 
breathing generally. The last nerve to be specially mentioned, 
is the " Purtio-dura :" coming out frooi the place of common 
origin of the respiratory nerves, before the ear, it sends branches 
Srst upon the side of the neck, to supply muscles which overlay 
and compress the veins in that part ; it next gives nerves to the 
lips ; afterwards to the nostrils ; then to the orbicular muscle of 
the eye-lids ; lastly, to the muscles of the brows ; and, in order 
to reach the parts of the face, to which it is destined, the nerve 
jas to travel across the large masseter muscle, and the equally 
arge temporal muscle, to neither of which (being muscles of 
aiastication, and supplied by the Fifth nerve) does it give even 
/ho smallest brauch : the chief use of the portio-dura is to 
associate the muscles of the lips and of the Nostrils, the two 
external orifices of the air-tube, with the rest of the organ of 
respiration ; but it fulfils other duties at the same time ; its 
branches which descend upon the neck, and those which go to 
the orbicular muscles of the eye-lids, control movements con- 
nected with disturbances in the venous circulation, produced 
in certain excited states of the respiration ; while the whole 
nerve, in virtue of its commanding the motions of all the featcires 
of the countenance, is the great source of Expression in the 
Face. 

Having shewn the gradual process by which the organ of 
breatliing is newly modelled, to adapt it to voice and 
expression, it is not out of place to point out how those other 
organs of the body, which have been described as super" 
intended by the " Original " class of nerves, — viz., the spinal 
nerves and fifth cerebral nerve — accommodate themselves to the 
new mechanism. It will be seen that, in the early stages of 
development of animals, owing to the defective organization 
of, the Locomotive and Prehensile instruments, the Mouth is 
embarrassed by having to perform ofSces, connected with 
obtaining food, which preclude its being used as an orifice lor 
breathing ; it has consequently no connection with the organ ol 
respiration. But by degrees those subsidiary organs improv 
free tho Mouth from performing more duties than those ol 
manducu ion, and it is converted, at last, into an opening which 



238 OP THE NERVES. 

serves not only for receiving food, but for respiration, voice, and 
speech. As it is the adaptation of the size of the jaws, and ol 
the cavity of the Mouth to Speech, which, according to the 
principles of the author,* impart the characters of nobleness and 
beauty to the permanent form of the human head, which distin- 
guish it from the brute, 1 may briefly trace the steps in thj 
development by which that is effected. 

It was intimated before, that animals placed at the bottom of 
the scale of living beings, have an organization in many points 
resembling vegetables ; nevertheless, those creatures possess an 
organ corresponding to the Mouth. But at that pristine stage of 
animal life, there are no distinct prehensile or locomotive organs 
to minister to the mouth ; the " oral aperture " is little more 
than one of the spongioles in the root of a vegetable, by which 
nutritious fluids are attracted from the soil. Take the example 
of the Sponges : fixed to a rock in the sea, the sponge cannot 
transport itself from place to place in search of food : it has no 
feelers or arms to procure nourishment ; it is, in short, like a 
plant t in every respect but this, that instead of imbibing its 
food from the spot from which it grows, its numerous pores or 
mouths placed on the free surface of its body, receive the 
nutritious substances floating or dissolved in the water around 
it ; the currents and undulations of the sea sweeping its pendu Ions 
body from side to side, and to and fro, compensate in some degree 
for the deficiency of locomotive and prehensile organs. Advancing 
higher in the scale, animals are met with still fixed to a rock, 
and wanting in locomotive organs ; but the mouth is now 
provided with instruments corresponding to prehensile organs. 
Thus certain species of Polypes, attached to corals, exist, which 
have their open mouths surrounded by rows of tentacles or 
ciliary processes,} the principal use of which is to cause circles or 
eddies in the water near them, so that the nourishing matter in 
their neighbourhood may be attracted to their mouths, caught, 
and swallowed. In ascending a little higher; we find animals 
in general structure like those just described, having a mouth 
provided with tentacles capable of directing nourishing matter 
into it ; but instead of these animals being fixed by moorings to 
a rock, they are let loose to float in the ocean ; and we percei re, 

♦ Page 29. t Whence the name, " Zoophytes.'' 

X Like petals of flowers, whence tbii name, " sea-flowers." 



OF THE KEEVES. 239 

jor the first time, indications of locomotive organs, combined 
with mouth and prehensile organs. The creatures to which I 
refer, are such as the " Sea-nettle." That animal consists of a 
mass of buoyant soft substance ; by alternate contractions and 
expansions of its body, it has a slight power of directing its move- 
ments ; but it trusts chiefly for its changes of feeding-ground to 
the effects of the tides and currents of the sea : like a boat without 
oars or rudder, it is drifted from sand-bank to sand-bank, and 
floating along passively, a prey to stronger creatures, and defended 
only by its stings, it picks up the food which casually falls within 
]ts reach ; in short, its organs of progression are in the lowest stage 
of development. And here it may be remarked, that it is the 
ocean, lakes, or rivers, where we must look for creatures such aa 
those described, which have their organs of prehension and of 
locomotion, and mouths, least advanced in organization : not only 
does the density of the water assist in buoying up their bodies 
ani. make them independent of solidly constructed members to 
rest or move upon ; but the fluid divides or dissolves the nutritious 
matters, so as to be more easily received into their mouths of 
simple structure. Accordingly, when we ascend higher in the 
animal series, and arrive at those animals which possess the 
earliest distinct representations of legs, such as belong to the 
highest, we perceive that the numbers of creatures capable of 
living on dry land begin to increase. I allude to animals 
which have an internal skeleton, that is, a skeleton composed of 
bones, found for the first time in the class Vertebrata. But 
amongst these the parts corresponding to legs and arms are, at 
the commencement, so imperfectly formed, that the animals to 
which they belong partly inhabit the water, and partly the land ; 
and when they do visit the dry land, they crawl upon their 
bellies, that is, they assist their weak and slender extremities by 
the tortuous motions along the earth of their trunks and tails ; 
as we see in the crocodile or lizard. Gradually, as the develop- 
ment proceeds, and the bones acquire increased solidity of 
structure, the body is well lifted up from the ground, the legs 
are longer leveip, more powerful and more active, as we see in 
the condition of Quadrupeds. 

Next, let us observe the progressive advancement from the 
state of quadrupeds to that of Man. As the four-footed anima 
swcend in th? scale, a contrast becomes evident between the 



240 OP THK NEKVES. 

power and dimensions of their /ore and their hind logs. Origin- 
ally, hoth these sets of memhers participated equally in sustaining 
the weight of the trunic and head, and moving the body : but, 
by degrees, the hind legs increase in size and strength dispro- 
liortionately to the fore-legs ; and the latter become possessed 
of freer and more diversified motion. In short, in the strong 
hind-qr.arters of the horse, deer, &c., we see a preparation ior 
the parts corresponding to the lower extremities of Man, be- 
coming the exclusive oigans of progression ; and in the light, 
agile forms of the fnre-legs, a preparation for those corresponding 
.to the upper extremities, taking on the part of arms, to act 
exclusively as instruments of prehension. But it is only in Man 
that this distinct appropriation of each member to its own peculiar 
function is found complete. The monkey, Man's nearest relation 
in the family of animals, can rest upon the hind legs ; but it is 
feebly and imperfectly ; he can skilfully grasp a cocoa-nut with 
paxts resembling human hands ; but his so-called hands are still 
instruments of progression; they enable him to warp himself 
with agility along the branches of trees, his proper habitation. 
Man is distinguished above all other animals by his lower 
extremities having solidity and power sufficient to sustain his body 
without the aid of other members, and so as to be his sole organs of 
progression : hence his erect position. Again, as man's upper 
extremities are emancipated from the duty of assisting in 
locomotion, they are free to execute whatever rapid and varied 
movements may be called for, either for self defence or for 
procuring nourishment. And in correspondence with that freedom 
of action, a Eand is added, which, for the perfection of its 
endowments and mechanism, has been, in all ages, a constant 
theme of admiration. 

Now let us ask, what influence have the improvements thus 
shewn in the construction of the organs of locomotion and of 
prehension, upon the structure of the Mouth ? The chief use ot 
the prehensile organs being to seize food for the supply of the 
mouth, It may be expected that, as they become more highly 
organized, the mouth will undergo a change in its form. Let us 
inquire, then, what effect .has the improved organization of the 
prehensile organ as seen in the hand of man in allowing the 
mouth to be adapted for a vocal organ — an organ of Articulate 
Language ? 



OF THE NEUVES. 21j 

It has been stated that in all the vertebrate animals below 
man, the member analogous to the arm and hand, is an instru- 
ment of progression as well as of prehension. Whether we 
take the fin of the fish, the anterior extremity of the reptile, the 
wing of the bird, the paddle of the dolphin, or the fore leg of the 
horse or dog, the principal, if not the only use of the member is 
to assist in locomotion ; only a few quadrupeds, like the squirrel, 
the feline animals, &c., besides using their paws for running, 
climbing, burrowing, &c., employ them to carry food to the 
mouth. Now the consequence of using the organ intended to 
convey the food to the mouth as one for progression, will be, that 
the ofBce of appropriating the food will be thrown upon the 
mouth itself. Accordingly, in all animals below Man, the 
month is a prehensile, as well as a manducatory organ. If the 
animal be graminivorous, it must crop the herbage with its 
teeth before chewing and triturating it ; if it be carnivorous, it 
must be provided with large, sharp fangs or tusks, to fight, seize, 
and tear its prey, before it can reduce its food to a fit state for 
swallowing. In short, the mouth, with its delicate sense of 
touch, its hairs or whiskers projecting from it as feelers, and its 
jaws armed with large teeth, is to be looked upon, in conjunction 
with the long, flexible neck commonly belonging to brutes, as 
combining the functions of the human arm and hand, with that 
of an organ of mastication. 

But it is obvious that a mouth of the large capacity and 
irregular shape of an animal like the horse, ox, dog, or lion, coiiid 
never be adapted to produce articulate sounds. In a cavity such 
as the month of the horse, we can understand how neighing may 
be produced ; but we cannot suppose that, by any adjustment of 
the tongue or lips, the, air, even if it were properly vocalised in 
the larynx, could be confined, and then be let suddenly free to 
give rise to explosive sounds ; or be impinged against the palate, 
to cause guttural sounds; or be directed into the back of the 
nostrils, to produce nasal sounds. In short, none of those 
numerous, finely-varied changes in the shape of the interior of 
the mouth, produced by the combined action of the tongue, 
palate, cheeks, and lips, which give rise to the infinite modifica- 
tions of sound in speech, could take place in such gross 
structures. For the vibrating air expelled from the larynx to be 
divided and modulated so as to produce words with proper tone 

n 



24:2 OF THE NEK YES. 

and accent, it is necessary that the cavity of the niouth should 
be small, its boundaries regular and uninterrupted, and the com- 
munication between it and the nostrils free. 

Now that is the very character of the mouth in Man. 
Provided with an arm and hand, free to execute all the objects of 
his will, man is under no necessity to use his mouth as the brute 
does. Being limited to manducation, the jaw-bones may he of 
small size and light construction, while the teeth may Ukewise 
be small, be set erect, and ranged in uniform, regular rows, so 
important for distinct articulation. On the whole, from the 
mouth being absolved, by the perfection of the hcmd, from 
performing more ofBoes than those of mastication simply, the 
cavity admits of being diminished in size, the jaws and teeth of 
being reduced to moderate dimensions, and the whole form is 
suited in the most admirable manner for an organ of articulate 
language. 

On looking to the skulls of different races of mankind, it 
will be seen that Nature, in fashioning the mouth of man to be 
a speaking organ, has not departed from her usual course ot 
carrying on the process of development by slow and gradual steps. 
Observe what a contrast exists between the skull of the Negro 
and that of the European, caused by the inordinately large size 
of the jaws and projection of the teeth in the former. The well- 
formed skull of the European is distinguished by having the 
jaws and teeth of comparatively diminutive size; while the 
cavities formed in the interstices between the bones of the face, 
at the brows and cheeks, and which communicate with the 
nostrils, to allow a free circulation of air round the chambers 
where sound is produced, being parts of the organ of Voice, are 
full and prominent. 

Thus we perceive how the genius of the sculptors and painters 
of antiquity led them to discover a principle of beauty, in 
designing the human head, founded on a profound view of the 
relation existiiig between Man's physical structure and his mental 
constitution — the principle expounded in the first essay of this 
work. Eegarding his supremacy over all created beings to be in 
virtue of his possessing a Mind, they looked for the signs of his 
superior organization, to those structures which minister most 
directly to the mind. The cranium was represented capacious 
snd full, it being the pait where the Brain, the seat of intellect, 



OF THE NEEVES. 243 

is lodged. But they studied, at tlie same time, the organ by 
which the operations of the intellect are embodied in Speech 
and intercourse is established between the minds of man and 
man. The lower part of the face, including the jaws and teeth, 
which in brutes have such a preponderating size to enable them 
to seize and read their prey, was made small and delicate ; white 
the upper, composed of passages and chambers permeated by the 
air, and accessory to the organ of Speech, were expanded and 
elevated into due dimensions, so as to give them characteristic 
prominence. 

Thus, in whatever view we study the development of the 
animal frame, new proofs present themselves of the final aim of 
all the modifications which we successively trace, being to confer 
upon man an instrument adapted to his intellectual nature — an 
organ of Speech. It is the fine adjustment of the various 
members of his body for that object, that renders his organization 
the most perfect in the animal iimgdom. Additional strength 
ie, therefore, given to the author's opinions that our conceptions 
of human beauty, both as regards the form of the head, and the 
moveable features, have a direct relation to the fitness of the 
structures for Speech, Voice, and Expression. 

Such is a brief aticouut of the leading parts of the discoveries 
made by the author of the volume, in that important part ol 
the anatomy of the body — the Nervous System. He first 
established that the nerves of Motion are distinct from those 
of Sensation ; — ^and that the nerves, generally, possess different 
endowments, according to the divisions of the brain or spinal 
marrow fixjm which they arise. He then arranged the nerves of 
the whole body into three distinct systems, corresponding with 
tiie organs which they respectively control. The First class is 
that composed of tie Spinal Nerves and fifth Nerve of tha brain ; 
this class, he provii, bestows both motion and sensation on all 
the parts to which it is distributed ; and these parts, he further 
shewed, are organs which belong to man in common with the 
lowest creatures, their united function being to supply food, the 
first necessary want of all animals : he termed this set of nerves 
the " Original" class, and included in it the nerves of the various 
organs of the senses. The Second class comprises a series of 
nerves di.stinct fi:m the former, both in their origin and mode of 

B 2 



'244 OF THE NEKVE8. 

distribution; they pass off from a circumscribed central portion 
of tiie nervous system, the tneduUa oblongata, and diverge to 
different parts of the head, neck, throat, and chest, already 
supplied by the original class : he shewed that these structures 
form together a mechanism for respiration, not found in the 
lovpest animals, but gradually introduced by a slow process of 
development into the animal kingdom, in order that, besides 
oxygenating the blood, it may be, in Man, the organ of Voice 
and Expression : to this set of nerves he applied the riame, 
" Respiratory " class. In these two classes are combined all the 
nerves together which arise either from the Brain or Spinal 
Marrow. The Third class consists of a series of nerves which 
have their centre in large ganglions, scattered principally among 
the viscera of the abdomen ; this forms the system called 
ganglionic or " Sympathetic :" and their use has been generally 
supposed to be, to unite in sympathy those organs by which the 
various organic functions are performed : such as secretion 
absorption, assimilation of the food, the growth and decay of thi 
body, &c. When the nerves belonging to these different classes 
are viewed, as by the anatomist, in their combined condition, 
crossing, joining, and interlacing, in the different parts of the 
body, nothing can exceed their apparent confusion ; but when 
examined by the aid of the principle, and the arrangement 
introduced by Sir Charles Bell, ordsr and design are foond tc 
pervade every part. 



EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. 



PLATE I. 

Fig. 1. The Skull of a Man fully grown, presented in a front 
new. 

A. The Frontal Bone (os frontis). 

B. The Protuberances formed by the Frontal Smusea. 

o. The Temporal Kidge if the frontal bone ; on which tlie form 
of the temple depends. 

D. The Cheek Bone (os malse). 

E E. The upper Maxillaiy Bones. 

p. The Nasal Bones. 

G G. The Orbits or Sockets for the Eye-balls. The circle of their 
margin is seen to be formed by the frontal bones, the cheek- 
bones, and the superior maxillary bones. 

H H. The Temporal Bones. These hollows are filled with a 
strong muscle, which arising upon the side of the skull, 
passes down, through the arch, to be inserted into the lower 
jaw-bone. 

1 1. The Mastoid or Mamillary Processes of the Temporal Bone 
These are the points into which the strong mastoid muscles 
which give form to the neck, are inserted. 

K. The Lower Jaw. 

L. The Angle of the Lower Jaw. 

M. The Processes of the jaws which form the sockets for receiving 
the roots of the teeth. 

Fig. 2 is the Skull of an Adult seen in Profile, in which we have 
to remark these parts : — 

A. The Frontal Bone. 

B. Tlie Temporal Bone. 

c. The Zygomatic Process of the temporal bone, which, with the 
process of the cheek-bone, forms an arch, under which the 
tendon of the temporal muscle passes, to be inserted into 
the lower jaw. 

O. The opening of the tube of the Ear ; a little below this is the 
mastoid process of the temporal bone. 



2-l8 EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. 

E. The Parietal Bone ; so called because it formu tlie greater part, 
as it were, of the wall of the skull. 

r. The Occipital Bone. 

These bones are united by sulures, in which the processes of one 
bone seem to indent themselves, as they grow, -into those of the 
opposite bone, without there being an absolute union between them. 
That which unites the frontal and parietal bone is called the 
coronal suture ; that which unites the parietal and temporal bones 
is called the squamous or temporal suture : the line between the 
occipital and parietal bones is the lambdoidal suture ; and the line 
between the parietal bones is called the saggital suture, because it 
is laid betwt-'en the lambdoid and coronal sutures, like the arrow 
between the bow and the string. 

There are many lesser sutures which unite the smaller bones oi 
the face ; but they need not be mentioned here. 

G. The Cheek Bone (oB malse). 

H. The Upper Jaw-bone (maxilla superior), 

I. The Bones of the Nose (ossa nasi). 

K. The Lower Jaw (mnxilla inferior). 

L. The Angle of the Jaw. 

M. The Process of the Jaw which moves in the socket in tne 
temporal bone. 

N. The Coronoid Process of the Jaw, into which the temporal 
muscle is fixed, to move the jaw in conjunction with other 
muscles. 

Fig. 3 represents the Skull of an Infant, in which tlie sutures 
are not yet formed, the bones of the cranium being loose, and 
attached by their membranes only ; while the spaces may be ob- 
served, left unprotected, from the imperfect ossification of the 
bones. The individual parts require no references; they will bo 
understood from their correspondence with fig. 2. 

Fig. 4 is the iSeotion of a Cranium, in which the only thing 
meant to be particularly remarked, is the cavity which is seen in 
the frontal bone, viz. the frontal sinuses. 



PLATE n. 



OP TUB MUSCLES OP THE FACE. 



This plate represents the Muscles of the Face as they appear in 
a front view. 

There are muscles attached to the eyebrow which produce ifa 
vaiious motions. 



, ^sw ^-^-^^ 







PLATE II. 



EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. 249 

A A. The Frontal Muscle. A thin muscle, expanded over the 
forehead, and inserted into the skin under the eyebrow. 
We do not see here the whole of the muscle, hut only a 
part of what is properly called Oocipito-frontalis. 

It arises in a web of fibres, from the baot of the skull (from a 
lidge of the temporal and occipital bones) ; becoming 'jendinoua, it 
covers all the upper part of the skull with a membrane or sheet of 
tendon, and terminates in the anterior muscle, which is seen in this 
view. 

B B. The Corrugator Supercilii arises from the lower part of the 
frontal bone near the nose, and is inserted into the 
integument imder the eyebrow. It lies nearly transversely, 
and its office is to knit and draw the eyebrows together." 

c c. The Circiliar Muscle of the Eyelids (the orbicularis 
palpebrarum). There is a little tendon at the inner angle 
of the eye, which ia a fixed point for this muscle, attaching 
it to the maxillary bone, and being both origin and inser- 
tion. 

The descending slip of the Occipito-frontalis, or pyi-amidalis nasi, 
ia a fasciculus of fibres which descends from the frontal muscle to 
be attached to the side of the nose : it has a distinct operation, and 
may be considered as a separate muscle. It draws the inner 
extremity of the eyebrow downwards. 

These four muscles move the eyebrow, and give it all its various 
inflexions. If the orbicularis palpebrarum and the descending slip 
of the frontalis act together, there is a heavy and lowering ex- 
pression. If they yield to the influence of the frontal muscle, the 
eyebrow ia arched, and there is a cheerful or an alert and inquiring 
expression. If the corrugator supercUii acts, there is more or less 
expression of mental anguiah, or of painful exercise of thought. 

Muscles moving the nostrils : — 

D. Levator Labii Superioris Alseque Nasi. It arises from the 

upper jaw, and ia inserted into the upper lip and nostril, 
which it raises. 

E. Compressor nasi. A set of fibres vfhich compress the nostril. 
I.. The Depressor AIsb Nasi lies under the orbicularis oris. It 

arises near the incisor teeth, and is inserted into the move- 
able cartilage, which forms the wing of the nostril. 

These three muscles serve to expand and contract the nostril. 
They move in concert with the muscles of respiration. 

Muscles of the Lips : — 

p. Levator Labii Proprius. It arises from the upper jaw-bone, 
near the orbit, and is inserted into the upper lip, which 
it raises. 

6. Levator Anguli Oris. This muscle, lying under the last, ie, 
of course, shorter : it raises the angle of the mouth. 

H. Zygomatic Muscle. So called, because its origin is from the 



■250 EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. 

zygomatic process of the cheek-bone. It is inserted iiito 

the angle of the mouth. 
K. Orbicular Muscle of the Lips. 

M. Nasalis Labii Superioria. I)raws down the septum of the nose. 
N. Triangularis Oris, or Depressor Labiorum. A strong muscle 

arising from the base of the lower jaw, and inserted into 

the angle of the month. 
o. Quadratus Menti, or Depressor of the Lower Lip. 
p. Levatores Menti. Small, but strong, muscles. They arise 

from the lower jaw near the alveolar processes of the 

incisor teeth, descend, and are inserted into the integument 

of the chin. By their action they throw up the cliin and 

project the lower lip. 
Q. The Buccinator forms the fleshy part of the cheeks. It acts 

principally in turning the morsel in the mouth. Its fibres 

are inserted into the angles of the mouth. 
K, Fibres of the Platysma Myoides, which ascend from the neck 

upon the side of the cheek. 



PLA'l'h; 111 

MUSCLES OF A DOO'S PACE. 

A A. Circular fibres, which surround the eye-lids. 

B»D. Accessory Muscles, which I name Scintillantes. They 

draw back the eye-lids from the eye-ball. 
G H. Muscles of the Ear. 
I K. A Mass of Muscular Fibres, always the strongest in this clasa 

of animals, and which, with those concealed under them, 

I call Kingentes. They raise the upper lip and expose the 

teeth. 
L. Muscles which move the nostril in smelling. 
M. Circular Fibres of the Mouth, which yet do not make a perfei:t 

orbicular muscle. 
V. A Muscle which answers to the Zygomaticus in man, and which 

has great power in this animal : it reaches from the ear to 

the angle of the mouth. It opens the mouth, retracts the 

lips, and disengages them from the teeth, as in seizing 

their prey. 
o. The Cutaneous Muscle. It sends up a web of fibres fiom the 

neck on the side of the face : they are stronger here than 

in man. 




PLATE ni. 




PLATE IT. 



EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. 253 



PLATE IV. 

NERVES OF THE FACE AND NECK. 

I. Frontal or supra-orbitary branch of the fifth nerve of tha 
brain ; the terminating branch of the first or ophtbalmio division : 
aririing simply from the larger or ganglionic root of the fifth nerve, 
it bestows sensation alone. 

II. Superior maxillary, or infra-orbitary branch of the fifth nerve, 
the terminating branch of the second division ; arising simply, like 
the last, from the sensitive root, it bestows sensation alone. 

in. Mental, or inferior maxillary branch of the fifth nerve : it 
arises from the third division : by referring to the wood engraving 
(p. 217) it will be seen that this branch comes simply from the 
sensitive root ; and it gives sensation alone. 

IV. Temporal branches of the fifth nerve : they arise in common 
with the preceding branch, and bestow sensation alone. 

V. This nerve is the only branch of the fifth, arising from the 
smaller or motor root, which appears superficially : it is called 
bucoalis-labialis, from supplying the buccinator muscle, and muscles 
at the angle of the mouth ; and it associates these parts with the 
muscles of the jaws in mastication. 

The branches of the motor root of the fifth, which go to the more 
powerful muscles of the jaws, are situated deeply, and are not repre- 
sented in the plate. Their distribution may be understood by 
looking to the wood engraving (p. 217). 

VI. VII, Vin, IX. These are spinal nerves ; the first of the 
series which come out, between the vertebras, in the whole length oi 
the spine, to supply the body generally with motion and sensation. 

A. Portio Dura, or Facial Nerve: the motor nerve of the 
features. Arising from the medulla oblongata, close to the 
origins of the Nervus Vagus, the Glosso-Pharyngeal, and 
Spinal Accessory nerves, included in the respiratory class, it 
appears superficially before the ear. In front of the ear, and 
while lying upon the two principal muscles of mastication, 
viz., the masseter and temporal muscles, it forms a web or 
plexua ; but it gives no branch to any of the muscles of the 
jaws. Its branches pass off as follows : — 
o. Frontal branches to the muscles of the forehead and eye- 
brow. 

b. Branches to the eye-Uds. 

c. Branches to the muscles which move the nostrils and 
upper lip. 

i. Branches to the lower lip. 



254 EXPLANATION OP THE PLATES. 

e. Branches going down upon the side of the neck. 

f. Connections with the Cervical Spinal Nerves. 

g. A Nerve to the Occipital portion of the Occipito-frottalii 
muscle, and to muscles of the ear. 

B. The Nerrus Vagus, or grand respiratory nerve. 

c. The Spinal Accessory Nerve. 

1). The Ninth nerve ; motor Nerve of the tongue. 

E. Diaphragmatic Nerve. 

p. Branch of the Sympathetic Nerve. 

8. Superior Laryngeal Nerve, a hianch of the Nervus Vagos. 

H. Inferior or Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve, a branch of the Neivui 

Vagus. 
I. GlosBCcPharyngeal Nerve 



mi. 6t;i>. 



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of Hampden, his Party and 
Times. With a Memoir of the 
Author, an Autograph Letter, and 
Portrait. (,s. 

OCKLEY (S.) History of the 
Saracens and their Conquests 
in Syria, Persia, and Egypt. 
By Simon Ockley, B.D., Professor 
of Arabic in the University of 
Cambridge. 31. 6d. 

OMAN (J. C.) The Great Indian 
Epios : the Stories of the Rama- 
YANA and the Mahabharata. 
By John Campbell Oman, Prin- 
cipal of Khalsa College, Amritsar. 
With Notes, Appendices, and 
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ORDERICUS VITALIS' Eoole 
siastlcal History of England 
and Normandy. Translated by 
T. Forester, M.A. To which is 
added the Chronicle of St. 
EvROULT. 4 vols. 5^. each. 

OVID'S Works, complete. Literally 
translated into Prose. 3 vols. 
5J-. each. 

PASCAL'S Thoughts. Translated 
from the Text of M. Auguste 
Molinier by C. Kegan Paul. 3rd 
Edition. 3^. (>d- 

PATJLI'S (Dr. E.) Life of Alfred 
the Great. Translated from the 
German. To which is appended 
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OF Orosius. With a literal 
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and an Anglo-Saxon Grammar 
and Glossary, by B. Thorpe. 5^. 

PAUSANIAS' Desoriptlon of 
Greece. Newly translated by A. R. 
Shilleto, M.A. 2 vols. ^s. each. 

PEARSON'S Exposition of the 
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M-A- i': 



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Library. Edited by Lord Bray- 
brooke. 4 vols. With 31 En- 
gravings. $s. each. 

PERCY'S Reliques of Ancient 
English Poetry. With an Essay 
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sary. Edited by J. V. Pritchard, 
AM. 2 vols. 3J. 6d. each. 

PERSIUS. — See Jdvenal. 

PETRARCH'S Sonnets, Tri- 
umphs and other Poems. 
Translated into English Verse by 
various Hands. With a Life of 
the Poet by Thomas Campbell. 
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PHILO - J0D.a:US, Works of. 
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PICKERING'S History of the 
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World and 12 coloured Plates. 5^. 

PINDAR. Translated into Prose 
by Dawson W. Turner. To which 
is added the Metrical Version by 
Abraham Moore. 5^. 

PLANCHE. History of British 
Costume, from the Earliest Time 
to the Close of the Eighteenth 
Century. By J. R. Planch^, 
Somerset Herald. With upwards 
of 400 Illustrations. 5^. 

PLATO'S Works. Literally trans- 
lated, with Introduction and 
Notes. 6 vols. 5^. each. 
I. — The Apology of Socrates, 
Crito, Phsedo, Gorgias, Pro- 
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Plato's Works contintud. 

II. — The Republic, Timseus, and 
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Translated by G. Burges. 

V The Laws. Translated by 

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PLINY'S Natuial History. 
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PLINY. The Letters of Pllay 
the Younger. Melmoth's trans- 
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PLOTINUS, Select Works of. 
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tinus. Edited by G. R. S. Mead, 
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POLITICAL OYCLOP.SJDIA. 
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Civil Administration, Political 
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POPE'S Poetical Works. Edited, 
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Homer's Iliad. Edited by 

the Rev. J. S. Watson, M.A. 
Illustrated by the entire Series of 
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man's Designs. 5^. 

Life, including many of his 

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POUSHKIN'S Prose Tales: The 
Captain's Daughter— Doubrovsky 
— The Queen of Spades — An 
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—The Snow Storm— The Post- 
master—The Coffiii Maker — 
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Peter the Great's Negro. Trans- 
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PROPERTIUS. Translated by 
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PROVERBS, Handbook of. Con- 
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Proverbs, with his additions from 



26 



An Alphabetical List of Books 



Foreign Languages and a com- 
plete Alphabetical Indt-x; inwh'ch 
are introduced large additions as 
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PfeoVERBS, A Polyglot of 
foreign. Comprising French, 
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Portuguese, and Danish. With 
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POTTEKY AND PORCELAIN, 
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PROUT'S (Father) ReUques. Col- 
lected and arranged by Rev. F. 
Mahony. Copyright edition with 
the Author's last corrections and 
additions. New issue, with 21 
Etchmgs by D. Maclise, R.A. 
Nearly 60b pages. 5^. 

QUINTILIAN'S Institutes of 

Oratory, or Education of an 

Orator. Translated by the Rev. 

.S. Watson, M.A. 2 vols. 53-. 

each. 

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Works. A metrical English ver- 
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Oxon. 2 vols. 3.?. td. each. 

RANKE'S History of tile Popes, 
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testantism in the 1 6th and 17th 
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RANKE'S History of the Latin 
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1514. Trans, by P. A. Ashworth. 
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REUMONT (Alfred de). See 
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RIOARDO on the Principles of 
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M.A. 5J. 

RICHTER (Jean Paul Friedrioh). 
Levana, a Treatise on Education: 
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Flower, Fruit, and Thorn 

Pieoea, or the Wedded Life.Death, 
and Marriage of Firmian Stanis- 
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ROGER DE HOVEDEN'S An- 
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ROGER OF WENDOVER'S 
Flowers of History, comprising 
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1235, formerly ascribed to Matthew 
Paris. Translated by J. A. Giles, 
D.C.L. 2 vols. 5j. each. 

ROME in the NINETEENTH 
CENTURY. (. ontaining a com- 
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Middle Ages, and the Monuments 
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See Burn and Dyer. 

ROSOOE'S (W.) Life and. Ponti- 
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Life of Lorenzo de' Medici, 

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RUSSIA History of, from the 
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2 vols. '. y. dd. each. 

SALLUST, FLORUS, and VEL- 
LEIUS PATERCULUS. 

Translated by J. S.Watson, M.A. 

SCHILLER'S Works. Translated 
by various hands. ^ vols. 3^. 6</. 
each : — 
I.— History of the Thirty Years' 

War. 
II.— History of the Revolt in the 
Netherlands, the Trials of 
Counts Egmont and Horn, 
the Siege of Antwerp, and 
the Disturbances in France 
preceding the Reign of 
Henry IV. 



Schiller's Works contin-ued. 
III.— Don Carlos, Mary Stuart, 
Maid of Orleans, Bride ot 
Messina, together with the 
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IV.— Robhers { with Schiller's 
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metrius, Ghost Seer, Sport 
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The Dramas in this 
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V Poems. 

VI.— EssaySj/Estheticaland Philo- 
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VII.— Wallenstein's Camp, Pic- 
colomini and Death of 
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SCHILLER and GOETHE. 
Correspondence between, frotn 
A.D. 1794-1805. Translated by 
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each. 

SCHLEGEL'S (F.) Lectures on 
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rison, M.A. y. 6d. 

Lectures on the History of 

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TranslateiifromtheGerman. 3.f.6rf. 

Lectures on the PMlosopliy 

of History. Translated by J. B. 
Robertson, y. 6d. 

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Whitetock. 3^. dd. 

iEsthetio and Miscellaneous 

Works. Translated by E. J. 
Millington. 31. 6d. 



25 



An Alphabetical List of Books 



SCHLEGEL (A. W ) Lectures 
on Dramatic Art andLiterature. 
Translated by J. Black. Revised 
Edition, by the Rev. A. J. W. 
Morrison, M.A. y. 6d. 

SCHOPENHAUER on the Eoiir- 
fold Root of the Principle of 
SufBolent Reason, and On the 
Will in Nature. Translated by 
Madame Hillebrand. f,s. 

EBsays. Selected and Trans- 
lated. With a Biographical Intro- 
duction and Sketch of his Philo- 
sophy, by E. Belfort Bax. 51. 

SCHOTJW'S Earth, Plants, and 
Man. Translated by A. Henfrey. 
With coloured Map of the Geo- 
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SCHUMANN (Robert). His Life 
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Translated by A. L. Alger. 3^. 6d. 

EarlyLetters. Originally pub- 

blished by his Wife. Translated 
by May Herbert. With a Preface 
by Sir George Grove, D.C L. 
3x. 6ii. 

SENECA on Benefits. Newly 
translated by A. Stewart, M.A. 
y. 6d. 

Minor Essays and On Clem- 
ency. Translated by A. Stewart, 
M.A. Ss. 

SHAKESPEARE'S Dramatic 
Art. The History and Character 
of Shakespeare's Plays. By Dr. 
Hermann Ulrici. Translated by 
L. Dora Schmitz. 2 vols. y. td. 
each. 

SHAKESPEARE (William). A 
Literary Biography by Karl Elze, 
Ph.D., LLD. Translated by 
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SHARPS (S.) The History of 
Egypt, from the Earliest Times 
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A.D. 640. By Samuel Sharpe. 
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SISMONDI'S History of the 
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SIX OLD ENGLISH CHRON- 
ICLES : viz., Asser's Life of 
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SYNONYMS and ANTONYMS, 
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SMITH'S (Adam) The Wealth of 
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Theory of Moral Sentiments ; 

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SMYTH'S (Professor) Lectures 
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Lectures on the French Re- 
volution. 2 vols. y. 6d. each. 

SMITH'S ( Pye ) Geology and 
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SMOLLETT'S Adventures of 
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Adventures of Peregrine 

Pickle, in which are included the 
Memoirs of a Lady of Quality. 
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SMOLLETT'S The Expedition 
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SOCRATES (sumamed Soholas- 
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SOPHOCLES, The Tragedies of. 
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SOUTH EY'S Life of Nelson. 
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Life of Wesley, and the Rise 

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Robert Southey. The Story 

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SOZOMEN'S Ecclesiastical His- 
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gether with the Ecclesiastical 
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SPINOZA S Chief Works. Trans- 
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STANLEY'S Classified Synopsis 
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STARLING'S (Miss) Noble Deeds 
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Chess Tournament of 1851. 

A Collection of Games played at 
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STRABO'S Geography. Trans- 
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STRICKLAND'S (Agnes) Lives 
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Life of Mary Queen of Scots. 

2 vols. 5-''" each. 

Lives of the Tudor and Stuart 

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24 



An Alphabetical List of Books 



SUETONIUS' Lives of theTwelve 
Csesars and Lives of the Gram- 
marians. The translation of 
Thomson, revised by T. Forester. 

SULLY. Memoirs of the Duie 
of, Prime Minister to Henry 
the Great. Translated from the 
French. With 4 Portraits. 4 vols. 
3.?. 6d. each. 

SWIFT'S Prose Works. Edited 
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With Portraits and Facsimiles. 
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[ Vols. I.-IV. ready. 
I.— Edited by Temple Scott. 
With a Biographical In- 
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Hon. W. E. H. Lecky, 
M. P. Containing : — A 
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of the Books, and other 
early works. 
H.— The Journal to Stella. Edited 
by Frederick Ryland,M. A. 
■ With 2 Portraits of Stella, 
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the Letters. 
III.& IV. — Writings on Religion and 
the Church. Edited by 
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V. — Historical and Political 
Tracts (Fnglish). Edited 
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Vni —Gulliver's Travels. Edited 
by G. R Dennis. With 
Portrait and Maps. 
The order and contents of 
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VI &VII.— Historical and Political 
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IX.— Contributions to the ' Ex- 
aminer,' 'Tatler,' 'Spec- 
tator,' &c. 
X. — Historical Writings. 
XL— Literary Essays and Bib)io- 
g-^aphy. 



STOWE (Mrs.H.B.) Uncle Tom's 
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With Introductory Remarks by 
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TACITUS. The Works of. Liter- 
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TALES OF THE GENII; or, the 
Delightlul Lessons of H ram, the 
Son of Asmar. Translated from 
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TASSO'S Jerusalem DeUvered. 

Translated into English Spenserian 
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TAYLOR'S (Bishop Jeremy) 
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TEN BRINK.- j'w Brink. 

TERENCE and PHJEDRUS. 
Literally translated by H. T. Riley, 
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THEOCRITUS, BION, MOS- 
CHUS, and T V RTiEUS. Liter- 
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Chapman. 5^. 

THEODORET and EVAGRIUS. 
Histories of the Church from A. D. 
332 to A.D.«427; and from A.ti. 
431 to A.D. 544. Translated from 
the Greek. 5^. 

THIERRY'S History of the 
Conquest of England by the 
Normans; its Causes, and its 
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land, Ireland, and the Continent. 
Translated by William HajUt'- 

z VQI5. 3^. W. each- 



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THUOYDIDES. The Pelopon- 
neslan War. Literally translated 
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An Analysis and Summary 

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UEE'S (Dr. A.) Cotton Manufac- 
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Philosophy of Manufactures. 

Revised Edition, by P. L. Sim- 
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VASAKI'S Lives of the most 
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tary by J. P. Richter, Ph.D. 6 
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VIRGIL. A Literal Prose Trans- 
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VOLTAIRE'S Tales. Translated 
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WALTON'S Complete ^gler, 
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Tackle, &c., by Henry G. Bohn. 

With Portrait and 203 Engravings 
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Lives of Donne, Hooker, &g. 

New Edition revised by A. H. 
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WELLINGTON, Life of. By ■ An 
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Victories of. See Maxwell. 

WERNER'S Templars in 
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WESTROPP (H. M.) A Hand- 
boois; of Archseology, Egyptian, 
Greek, Etruscan, Roman. By 
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WHITE'S Natural History of 
Selborne, with Observations on 
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Naturalists' Calendar. With Notes 
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WHE ATLEY'S A Rational Illus- 
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WHEELER'S Noted Names of 
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